


A Vision of Dawning Starlight

by FireAlder2005



Series: A Vision of A.... [5]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: #ICAMEINLIKEAWREAKINGBALL!, #NoRegrets is his motto, #SupportFirestar, ASHFUR BASHING, Again, Alder Spark & Needle sing a parody of Country Roads, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And is suffering from parent issues, Ashfur hate, Book Series: The New Prophecy, BrambleSquirrel, But will he get it any time soon?, CrowLeaf, Deadfoot pulls a progamer move, Deadstar AU, Deal With It, F/M, Firestar needs a break, From all the chaos he goes through, From one of my least favorite cats, He admits to it, He also helps his grandpa plan a defence, I do not know Jag's full name, I fangirl over LeafCrow, Jayfeather has committed vandalism, Jayfeather is sick of prophecies, Leafpaw: Detective In Training, Lion Jay Cinder Dove Alder Spark Needle Bramble Tawny Squirrel & Frog, Mudclaw - Freeform, Mudclaw bashing, Mudclaw hate, Needle/Alder/Spark reunion, Needlepaw comes crashing in, Of course not, RiverClan (Warriors), ShadeFrog, Shadecloud & Frogspeck are sneaking around, ShadowClan (Warriors), Ships:, So keep a sharp eye out for them, Spark 'Sass Queen' paw, Sparkpaw gets sick, Spiritually of course, Spy Crew:, Squirrel and Frog are inducted into the spy crew, StarClan (Warriors), StormBrook, Tadpole Lives, Tallstar chickens Squirrelpaw, The New Prophecy: Book 3: Dawn, The New Prophecy: Book 4: Starlight, They be some tricky ones, ThunderClan (Warriors), ThunderWind #BestAllies, Thunderstar helps with the break out, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Tribe of Rushing Water (Warriors), WE STAND FOR WINDCLAN & THUNDERCLAN FRIENDSHIP, WindClan (Warriors), Yellowfang's depression senses have been activated once more!, but kinda confesses about what he wished had happened, but she will, cue Alder and Needle freak out, get used to it, in the background - Freeform, instead of the 'Let's BS the clan' thing, it's cute, nope - Freeform, not really but you'll see what I mean, she doesn't know he's her grandpa, she's confused as to why, we all know that, what?, will add tags as needed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:02:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 44
Words: 109,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28136631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireAlder2005/pseuds/FireAlder2005
Summary: The questing cats have returned - all but one.  Although grief-stricken by Feathertail's death, the questing cats have made it home.  But, their home is not as it once was.  The forest uprooted, the moor churned up, there is nothing familiar about this place.  Nevertheless, they, along with those from the future, are determined to convince their leaders that they must leave the forest - or they will all perish.Arriving at the lake, Jayfeather receives a prophecy referring to the 'Blood will spill blood' one.  He convinces Lionblaze to warn Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt about their father's plans, and the two willingly accept the role of playing spy.  It's a job filled with tension, and the littermates are always on guard in their dreams.  But their dreams aren't the only place wrought with tension.  Windclan is in turmoil ever since Tallstar died.  Before Tigerstar's first kits can undermine their father, first they must help bring the rightful leader of Windclan to his place. Along the way, they may find help not just from their own clan, or the futures, but perhaps their own kin.
Relationships: Alderpaw & Needlepaw & Sparkpaw (Warriors), Alderpaw & Sparkpaw (Warriors), Brambleclaw & Firestar (Warriors), Brambleclaw & Frogspeck & Hawkfrost (Warriors), Brambleclaw & Squirrelflight & Stormfur & Crowfeather & Rowanclaw (Warriors), Brambleclaw & Squirrelflight & Stormfur & Feathertail & Crowfeather & Rowanclaw (Warriors), Brambleclaw & Tawnypelt & Frogspeck (Warriors), Brambleclaw/Squirrelflight (Warriors), Brightheart/Cloudtail (Warriors), Brook Where Small Fish Swim/Stormfur (Warriors), Cinderheart/Lionblaze (Warriors), Crowfeather/Leafpool (Warriors), Dustpelt/Ferncloud (Warriors), Firestar & Graystripe (Warriors), Firestar & Onewhisker (Warriors), Firestar/Sandstorm (Warriors), Half Moon/Jay's Wing (Warriors), Half Moon/Jayfeather (Warriors), Jayfeather & Alderpaw (Warriors), Jayfeather & Deadfoot (Warriors), Jayfeather & Lionblaze & Dovewing (Warriors), Leafpool & Alderpaw (Warriors), Leafpool & Squirrelflight (Warriors), Light Onesided Spottedleaf/Firestar (Warriors), Lionblaze & Jayfeather (Warriors), Past Crowfeather/Feathertail (Warriors), Ruby & Tadpole (Warriors), Ruby/Tadpole (Warriors), Shadecloud & Frogspeck, Shadecloud/Frogspeck (Warriors), Slight Crowfeather/Feathertail (Warriors), Stoneteller & Cinderpelt & Jayfeather & Leafpool & Alderpaw (Warriors), Tallstar & Firestar (Warriors)
Series: A Vision of A.... [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1939276
Comments: 45
Kudos: 34





	1. ALLEGIANCES

**_Allegiances_ **

**Thunderclan**

**Leader:**

**Firestar** \- dark red, flame colored, tabby tom, green eyes

**Deputy:**

**Graystripe** \- gray tom, darker gray stripe along his back, yellow eyes

**Medicine Cats:**

**Cinderpelt** \- dark gray she-cat, blue eyes, crippled back leg

Apprentice: Leafpaw

**Jayfeather** \- gray tabby tom, blind blue eyes, from future Thunderclan

Apprentice: Alderpaw

**Warriors:**

**Mousefur** \- small, dusky brown she-cat, sunlit ice eyes

Apprentice: Spiderpaw

**Dustpelt** \- dark brown tom, amber eyes

Apprentice: Squirrelpaw

**Sandstorm** \- pale ginger she-cat, pale green eyes

**Lightningfur** \- dark brown and ginger she-cat, green eyes

**Airleap** \- Dark brown tabby tom, green eyes

**Copperleaf** \- ginger tom, green eyes

**Creekflower** \- brown and white tabby she-cat, green eyes

**Stonebrook** \- black and white tom, green eyes

**Shadecloud** \- gray she-cat, red/orange eyes

**Icefoot** \- black tom with one white paw, ice blue eyes

**Brackenfur** \- golden brown tom, amber eyes

Apprentice: Whitepaw

**Thornclaw** \- golden brown tom, pale blue eyes

Apprentice: Shrewpaw

**Cloudtail** \- long-haired white tom, blue eyes

**Swiftshade** \- black and white tom, blue eyes

**Brightheart** \- ginger and white she-cat, blue eyes

**Ashfur** \- gray tom with darker flecks, dark blue eyes

**Snowflight** \- white tom, blue eyes, deaf

**Tawnypelt** \- tortoiseshell she-cat, green eyes

**Brambleclaw** \- dark tabby tom, amber eyes

**Rainwhisker** \- dark gray tom, blue eyes

**Sootfur** \- light gray tom, yellow eyes

**Sorreltail** \- tortoiseshell and white she-cat, amber eyes

**Lionblaze** \- powerful, golden tom, amber eyes, from future Thunderclan

**Cinderheart** \- dark gray she-cat, blue eyes, from future Thunderclan

**Dovewing** \- gray she-cat, green eyes, from future Thunderclan

**Apprentices:**

**Sparkpaw** \- orange tabby she-cat, green eyes, from future Thunderclan

**Alderpaw** \- dark red tom, amber eyes, from future Thunderclan

**Whitepaw** \- white she-cat with green eyes

**Shrewpaw** \- dark brown tom, amber eyes

**Spiderpaw** \- black tom with brown underbelly, amber eyes

**Leafpaw** \- brown and white tabby she-cat, amber eyes

**Squirrelpaw** \- dark red she-cat, green eyes, one white paw

**Queens:**

**Ferncloud** \- gray she-cat with darker flecks, pale green eyes

Kits: Larchkit and Birchkit

**Elders:**

**Speckletail** \- pale tabby she-cat, amber eyes

**Whitestorm** \- big, white tom, yellow eyes

**Willowpelt** \- pale gray she-cat, unusual blue eyes

**Brindleface** \- gray she-cat with darker flecks, pale green eyes

**Frostfur** \- beautiful white she-cat, blue eyes

**Goldenflower** \- pale ginger she-cat, green eyes, oldest nursery queen

**Longtail** \- pale tabby tom, dark stripes, blind light blue eyes

**Shadowclan**

**Leader:**

**Blackstar** \- white tom with one black paw, amber eyes

**Deputy:**

**Russetfur** \- dark ginger she-cat, dark green eyes

**Medicine Cat:**

**Littlecloud** \- brown tabby tom, blue eyes

**Warriors:**

**Oakfur** \- brown tom, amber eyes

Apprentice: Smokepaw

**Rowanclaw** \- dark ginger tom, amber eyes

Apprentice: Talonpaw

**Cedarheart** \- dark gray tom, amber eyes

**Nightwing** \- black she-cat, pale green eyes

**Queens:**

**Tallpoppy** \- long-legged light brown tabby she-cat, pale amber eyes

**Apprentices:**

**Needlepaw** \- silver tabby she-cat, green eyes, from future Shadowclan

**Smokepaw** \- dark gray tom, pale blue eyes

**Talonpaw** \- pale gray tom, light amber eyes

**Elders:**

**Runningnose** \- small gray and white tom, formerly medicine cat

**Boulder** \- skinny gray tom

**Windclan**

**Leader:**

**Tallstar** \- elderly black and white tom, very long tail, amber eyes

**Deputy:**

**Deadfoot** \- black tom, twisted front paw, green eyes

**Medicine Cat:**

**Barkface** \- short-tailed brown tom, amber eyes

**Warriors:**

**Mudclaw** \- mottled dark brown tom, amber eyes

**Onewhisker** \- light brown tabby tom, blue eyes

**Webfoot** \- dark gray tabby tom, amber eyes

**Tornear** \- tabby tom, blue eyes

**Nightcloud** \- black she-cat, amber eyes

**Runningbrook** \- gray she-cat, green eyes

**Gorseheart** \- ginger and white tom, blue eyes

Apprentice: Crowpaw

**Robinwing** \- light brown she-cat, light blue eyes

Apprentice: Thistlepaw

**Apprentices:**

**Crowpaw** \- dark gray, almost black, tom, blue eyes

**Thistlepaw** \- tabby she-cat, blue eyes

**Queens:**

**Ashfoot** \- dark gray she-cat, blue eyes

**Whitetail** \- small white she-cat, green eyes

**Elders:**

**Morningflower** \- tortoiseshell she-cat, blue eyes

**Oatwhisker** \- creamy brown tabby tom

**Riverclan**

**Leader:**

**Leopardstar** \- spotted golden she-cat, amber eyes

**Deputy:**

**Stonefur** \- battlescarred gray tom, blue eyes, both ears clawed

**Medicine Cats:**

**Mudfur** \- long-haired, light brown tom, amber eyes

Apprentice: Mothwing - beautiful golden tabby she-cat, amber eyes

**Warriors:**

**Mistyfoot** \- blue-gray she-cat, blue eyes

**Blackclaw** \- smoky black tom

Apprentice: Volepaw

**Heavystep** \- thickset tabby tom

Apprentice: Rockpaw (Formally Stonepaw, but I changed it because we have Stonefur.)

**Stormfur** \- gray striped tom, amber eyes

**Hawkfrost** \- broad-shouldered, dark tabby tom, white underbelly, ice blue eyes

**Frogspeck** \- black tom, amber eyes

**Swallowtail** \- dark brown tabby she-cat, green eyes

Apprentice: Splashpaw

**Apprentices:**

**Volepaw** \- small brown tabby tom, amber eyes

**Rockpaw** \- gray tom, dark blue eyes

**Splashpaw** \- dark gray she-cat, dark blue eyes

**Queens:**

**Dawnflower** \- pale gray she-cat, blue eyes

**Mosspelt** \- tortoiseshell she-cat, blue eyes

**Elders:**

**Shadepelt** \- very dark gray she-cat, blue eyes

**Loudbelly** \- dark brown tom, amber eyes

**Cats Outside Clans**

**Ravenpaw** \- black tom with white chest and tipped tail, light green eyes, lives on the farm

**Barley** \- black and white tom, amber eyes, lives on the farm

**Purdy** \- elderly tabby tom that lives in the woods by the sea

**Smudge** \- plump, friendly, black and white tom, amber eyes

**Hattie** \- pretty brown tabby she-cat, amber eyes

**Cody** \- tabby she-cat, kittypet, blue eyes

**Sasha** \- tawny colored she-cat, rouge, blue eyes

**Tribe of Rushing Water**

**Tribe-Healer:**

**Stoneteller** \- brown tabby tom, amber eyes

**Prey-Hunters:**

**Gray** \- pale gray tabby tom

**Brook** \- brown tabby she-cat

**Cave-Guards:**

**Talon** \- dark brown tabby tom

**Jag** \- dark gray tom

**Rock** \- brown tom

**Bird** \- gray tabby she-cat

**Crag** \- dark gray tom

**Sheer** \- dark brown tabby tom

**Night** \- black she-cat

**Kit-Mothers:**

**Wing** \- gray and white she-cat

**Flight** \- brown tabby she-cat

**Other Animals**

**Midnight** \- stargazing badger who lives by the sea


	2. Leafpaw And Alderpaw Make A Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this is number FIVE people! At least two more to go! (If I manage to combine Dawn & Starlight and Twilight & Sunset, then do Leafpool's Wish) Stay tuned!

“Spottedleaf!” Leafpaw called desperately into the forest. There was no reply. The wise medicine cat had guided her many times before in dreams; if ever Leafpaw had needed Spottedleaf’s help, it was now. “Spottedleaf, where are you?” she called again. The trees did not even tremble in the breeze. No prey sound whispered in the shadows. The silence tore at Leafpaw’s heart like a claw.

Suddenly an unfamiliar yowl echoed in her ears, forcing its way into her dream. Leafpaw opened her eyes with a jolt. For a moment she couldn’t think where she was. Her fur was ruffled by a cold draft, and instead of a soft, mossy nest there was a strange, cold, shiny web beneath her paws. She stood up in panic, and more shiny web grazed her ears. Wherever she was, it was a very small space, hardly taller than she was. Taking a deep breath, Leafpaw forced herself to look around, and everything came rushing back to her.

She was trapped in a tiny den, with walls, floor, and roof made entirely from cold, hard web. There was just enough space to stand and stretch, but no more. It was packed among other dens lining every wall of a small wooden Twoleg nest.

Leafpaw longed to see the stars, to breathe in the comforting presence of StarClan and know they were watching her, but when she looked up she saw nothing but the nest’s steeply pitched roof. The only light came from a shaft of moonlight that streamed through a small hole in the wall at one end of the nest. Her den was on top of others; the one directly below was empty, but beneath that she could just make out a bundle of dark fur. Another cat? Not a forest cat, since its scent was unfamiliar. The shape was so still, it must have been sleeping.  _ If it was alive at all, _ Leafpaw thought grimly.

She listened again for the yowl, but the cat that had cried out was silent now, and Leafpaw could hear only the soft mewling and shuffling of cats trapped in the other dens. She sniffed the air but recognized no scents. An acrid Twoleg stench filled the nest, tinged with fear. Leafpaw unsheathed her claws, feeling them catch on the shiny web.  _ StarClan, where are you? _ The thought fleetingly crossed her mind that she was already dead, but she thrust it away with a shudder that made her claws scrape against the floor of the den.

“You’re awake at last,” whispered a voice. Leafpaw jumped and craned her neck to look over her shoulder. A heap of tabby fur stirred in the den beside hers, and she smelled the unmistakable Twoleg-tainted scent of a kittypet. There had been kindness in the she-cat’s voice, but Leafpaw felt too wretched to reply. Her mind flooded with bitter memories of how the Twolegs had trapped her while she was investigating with Sorreltail and Alderpaw, and brought her to this awful place. She had been separated from her Clan and locked in darkness. Overwhelmed by despair, she buried her nose in her paws and closed her eyes.

Another voice sounded from a den farther along. It was too quiet to make out the words, but there was something familiar about it. Leafpaw lifted her muzzle to taste the air, but all she could smell was a sour tang that reminded her of the herbs Cinderpelt used for cleaning wounds. The voice spoke again, and Leafpaw strained her ears to listen.

“We must get out of here,” the cat was mewing.

Another cat answered from the far side of the nest. 

“How? There’s no way out.”

“We can’t just sit here waiting to die!” the first voice insisted. “There have been other cats here—I can smell them, and their fear-scent. I don’t know what happened to them, but whatever it was must have scared their fur off. We’ve got to get out before we become nothing but stale fear-scent!”

“There’s no way out, you mouse-brain,” came a rough mew. “Shut up and let us sleep.”

The words made Leafpaw feel sick with fear and sadness. She didn’t want to die here! She flattened her ears and closed her eyes, clawing for the safety of sleep.

“Wake up!” A voice hissed in Leafpaw’s ear, jolting her out

of troubled dreams. She lifted her head and looked around. Watery sunlight filtered in through the hole in the wall, though it did nothing to lift the chill from her fur. In the weak dawn light she could see the tabby she-cat in the den next to her more clearly. The stranger was soft and well groomed, and Leafpaw was conscious of her own matted pelt as she stared at her. She was definitely a kittypet, plump and soft-muscled beneath her tabby pelt.

“Are you all right?” asked the kittypet, her eyes wide with worry. “You sounded as if you were in pain.”

“I was dreaming,” Leafpaw replied hoarsely. Her voice felt strange, as if she hadn’t spoken for several days, and as she spoke memories of her nightmare came flooding back: images of water-swollen rivers scarlet with blood—and great birds swooping out of the sky with thorn-sharp claws. For a heartbeat, Leafpaw saw Feathertail hidden in darkness and then swathed in starlight, and without understanding why, her paws trembled.

Outside a Twoleg monster roared into wakefulness, bringing her back to the wooden nest and the den that pressed around her.

“You don’t look well,” the kittypet commented. “Try eating some breakfast. There’s some in the corner of your cage.”

_ Cage? _ Leafpaw wondered at the strange word. 

“Is that what this den is called?” The kittypet was nodding through the web that separated the two “cages” toward a half-empty holder of stinking pellets. Leafpaw looked at the Twoleg food in disgust. “I’m not eating that!”

“Then at least sit up and give yourself a wash,” the kittypet urged. “You’ve been hunched up like a wounded mouse since the workfolk brought you here.” Leafpaw twitched her shoulders but didn’t move.

“They didn’t hurt you when they caught you, did they?” the kittypet asked. There was concern in her voice.

“No,” Leafpaw mumbled.

“Then get up and wash yourself,” she went on more briskly. “You’re no use to yourself or any cat moping around like that.”

Leafpaw did not want to get up and wash herself. The web floor scratched against her paws, and blood oozed from beneath one of her claws. Her eyes stung with the filthy air that filtered into the nest, fouled by the monsters outside. And StarClan had sent no comfort to ease the desperate fear that gripped her heart.

“Get up!” repeated the kittypet, more firmly this time. Leafpaw twisted her head around to glare at her, but the kittypet held her gaze. “We’re going to find some way to escape,” she mewed. “Unless you get up, stretch your muscles, and have something to eat and drink, you’re going to be left behind. And I’m not leaving any cat here if I can help it!” Leafpaw blinked. 

“Do you know a way out of here?”

“Not yet,” admitted the kittypet. “But you might be able to help me find one if only you’d stop feeling sorry for yourself.”

Leafpaw knew she was right. She wouldn’t solve anything by curling up and waiting to die. Besides, she wasn’t ready to join StarClan. She was an apprentice medicine cat—her Clan

needed her here, in the forest. Whatever was left of it. Pushing away the misery that had sapped her strength, she pulled herself up onto her paws. Her cramped muscles screamed in protest as she uncurled her tail and flexed her legs.

“That’s better,” purred the kittypet. “Now turn around. There’s more room to stretch if you face the other way.” Leafpaw obediently wriggled around and reached her paws to the corner of the cage, gripping the web to brace herself. As she stretched, pressing her chest down and flexing her shoulders, she felt her stiff muscles soften. Feeling a little better, she began to wash herself, swiping her tongue over her flank. The kittypet huddled closer to the mesh and watched her with bright blue eyes. 

“I’m Cody,” she meowed. “What are you called?”

“Leafpaw.”

“Leafpaw?” echoed Cody. “What an odd name.” She shrugged and carried on. “Well, bad luck on getting caught, Leafpaw. Did you lose your collar too? I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t pulled mine off—the wretched thing! I thought I was so clever managing to wriggle out of it, but if I’d still been wearing it, the workfolk would have taken me home instead of bringing me here.” She tucked in her chin and licked an unkempt clump of fur on her chest. “My housefolk are going to be mad with worry. If I’m not in by midnight they start rushing around the garden shaking the pellet pot and calling for me. It’s nice that they care, but I can look after myself.”

Leafpaw couldn’t help letting out a purr of amusement. 

“A kittypet, look after itself? If it weren’t for the food the Twolegs give you, you’d starve!”

“Twolegs?”

“Sorry.” Leafpaw corrected herself for the kittypet’s benefit. “Housefolk.”

“Well, where do you get your food from?” asked Cody.

“I hunt for it.”

“I caught a mouse once . . .” Cody meowed defensively.

“I catch all my food,” Leafpaw retorted. For a moment, she forgot she was trapped in a stifling cage, and saw only the green forest rustling with the tiny sounds of prey. “And I catch enough for the elders, too.” Cody narrowed her blue eyes. 

“Are you one of those woodland cats that Smudge talks about?”

“I’m a Clan cat,” Leafpaw told her. Cody’s gaze clouded with confusion. 

“A Clan cat?”

“There are four Clans in the forest,” Leafpaw explained. “We each have our own territory and customs, but we all live together under StarClan.” She saw Cody’s eyes stretch wide, and she went on. “StarClan are our warrior ancestors. They live in Silverpelt.” She flicked her tail toward the roof, indicating the sky. “All Clan cats will join StarClan one day.”

“Smudge never mentioned any Clans,” murmured Cody.

“Who’s Smudge?”

“A cat from another garden. He had a friend a long time ago, a kittypet who went off to join the woodland cats . . . I mean Clans.”

“My father was born a kittypet,” meowed Leafpaw. “He left his Twolegs to join ThunderClan.”

Cody pressed herself against the shiny web that separated them.

“What’s your father called?” Leafpaw stared back at her. 

“Do you think he might be that cat your friend used to know?” Cody nodded. 

“Maybe! What is his name?”

“Firestar.” Cody shook her head. 

“Smudge’s friend was called Rusty.” She sighed. “Not Firestar.”

“But he wasn’t always Firestar,” Leafpaw mewed. “That’s his Clan name. It’s a leader’s name. He had to earn it, just as he had to earn his warrior name.” Cody glanced at her thoughtfully. 

“Names are important to the Clans, then?”

“Very. I mean, each kit is given a name that means some- thing, that recognizes the way it is different from all its Clanmates.” She paused. “I guess you could say that we are given the name we deserve.”

“What did your father do to deserve the name Firestar?”

“His pelt is dark red, like a flame,” Leafpaw told her. “So when he came to ThunderClan, the leader named him Fire—” She broke off. Cody was staring at her in astonishment.

“It must be Smudge’s friend!” she gasped. “Smudge always said Rusty had the brightest pelt he’d ever seen. And now he’s the leader of your Clan! Wow, I can’t wait to tell Smudge!”

A pang of sorrow gripped Leafpaw’s heart as she wondered if Cody would have another chance to speak to Smudge, or if she herself would ever see her father again.  _ Oh, StarClan, help us!  _ Cody glanced down at the floor as if she had followed Leafpaw’s terrified thoughts. 

“Your ears look like another wash wouldn’t do any harm,” she mewed, changing the subject. Leafpaw licked her paw and drew it over one ear as Cody continued. 

“Your father must be wondering where you’ve gone. I bet he’s as worried about you as my housefolk are about me.”

“Yes,” Leafpaw agreed, though privately she doubted that Twolegs had the same connection with their cats as she did with her kin. She reminded herself that Cody seemed devoted to her housefolk—she sounded as concerned about them as Leafpaw was about her Clanmates. “He and everyone else must be worried, Sorreltail probably told them-” Leafpaw gasped. “Alderpaw!” Cody blinked.

“Is that a friend of yours?” she asked. Leafpaw nodded.

“Alderpaw was with me when the Twolegs caught me. They took him as well.” Leafpaw scrambled to her paws, looking anxiously around.

“What does he look like?” Cody asked, looking around the den with her.

“He’s dark red, with a white tipped tail, and has amber eyes.” Cody glanced down to her right and meowed;

“Is that him?” Leafpaw quickly looked and pricked her ears. Alderpaw was pawing at the shiny silver stuff, eyes narrowed with frustration.

“Alderpaw!” she meowed. The tom pricked his ears and snapped his head up.

“Leafpaw!” he meowed. “There you are! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she meowed. “But we must find a way out of here.” Her voice hardened with determination.

“Yes, we do!” Alderpaw meowed, sniffing the cage he was in.

Leafpaw stared at the hole high up in the nest wall where the sunshine filtered in, and wondered if it was big enough for a cat to squeeze through. She might just manage it, even if she left some fur behind. But how could she escape from her cage? She studied the catch that held the door shut.

“It’s no use,” Cody mewed, following her gaze. “I’ve tried reaching my paw through, but I can’t get a grip on the catch.” Leafpaw leaned over to see Alderpaw.

“Can you get a grip on the latch on your cage?” she called. Alderpaw flicked his ear.

“I’ll try.” he poked his paw through and batted at the latch. The curved part of it went up slightly, but remained hooked to the hole it was in. Alderpaw growled in frustration.

“I can’t get it!” he sighed, tail drooping. Leafpaw heard him whisper; “Sparkpaw, I wish you were here. Or Jayfeather. Or anyone really. I have no clue what to do!” He pawed at the cage again, panic in his eyes. Leafpaw felt her heart twist with concern for him. Alderpaw had come from the future, but he clearly had no idea about how to handle this. His pelt was ruffled, the fur color slightly dulled, and she could see his ribs through his dark red fur.  _ His pelt looks like Firestar’s. _ Leafpaw thought.  _ And Squirrelpaw;s for that matter. _

“Do you know why the Twolegs are trapping us like this?” Alderpaw called up to Cody, dragging Leafpaw’s thoughts back to reality. Cody shrugged. 

“I suppose they think we get in the way of what they’re doing in the forest,” she mewed. “They caught me after I chased a squirrel into the woods, farther than I usually go. One of the monsters came roaring through the trees, and I panicked. I was so startled I didn’t see the workfolk all around. One of them scooped me up and shoved me in here. Even without my collar, he must have been as stupid as a pup to mistake me for a forest cat!” She bristled indignantly, then let her fur lie flat as she caught Leafpaw’s eye.

“Sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I mean, you’re much nicer than I thought you’d be,” she finished awkwardly. Leafpaw shrugged. Forest cat or kittypet, they were equally trapped. 

“I don’t usually come to this part of the woods either,” she meowed. “We, Alderpaw and I, were looking for Cloudtail, Brightheart, and Airleap, some of our Clanmates.” Cody tipped her head to one side.

“They went missing not long ago,” Leafpaw explained. “Some of the Clan thought they’d just run away, but I know they’d never leave, and Whitepaw, Cloudtail and Brightheart’s kit, is still in camp. And they would never leave her.”

“So you decided the Twolegs must have caught them and came looking for them,” Cody guessed.

“I didn’t even know the Twolegs were trapping cats,” Leafpaw mewed. “I just followed a clue, and I came across the scent of a RiverClan cat who’d gone missing too.”

She paused, her fur prickling. If Cloudtail, Brightheart, Airleap, and Stonefur had been trapped by the Twolegs, they could be here now! She stared frantically around the nest, brighter now as the morning light strengthened. Finally she saw a shape she had hoped to find, the tortoiseshell-splashed fur familiar even in the gloom.

“Brightheart!” Leafpaw tried to call her Clanmate’s name, but a new noise silenced her cry. The nest door opened and light streamed in. Leafpaw quickly scanned the cages for more familiar shapes as a Twoleg marched into the nest.

The Twoleg began opening each cage and tossing something inside. When it reached hers, Leafpaw jumped back.

She watched, trembling in fear, as the Twoleg dropped fresh pellets into the pot near the front and slopped stinking water into the holder beside it. But when the Twoleg opened Cody’s cage, the kittypet brushed against its giant paw, purring as the Twoleg stroked her soft fur. The Twoleg shut Cody’s door and left the nest. The cages were plunged once more into shadow.

“How could you let it touch you?” Leafpaw hissed. Alderpaw was staring at Cody like she was crazy.

“The workfolk might be our best way out of here,” Cody pointed out. “If I can persuade it that I’m nothing but a poor lost kittypet, it might let me go. You should try it too.”

Leafpaw shuddered at the idea of any Twoleg touching her, and she knew her Clanmates would feel the same. Alderpaw wrinkled his nose at the thought. She tried to find the cage where she had recognized Brightheart’s soft pelt.

“Brightheart!” she called, her tail twitching anxiously. Alderpaw pressed against the cage to see his clanmate.

“Yes,” came the wary reply. “Who’s that?” Leafpaw pressed herself against the front of her cage, feeling the web hard and cold through her fur. 

“It’s Leafpaw!”

“Leafpaw!” The voice came from somewhere else in the nest, and Leafpaw let out a muffled purr as she recognized Cloudtail’s familiar mew. She searched the cages until she saw

his thick white pelt.

“You’re both still alive!” Leafpaw exclaimed. “Where’s Airleap?”

“Hey, little niece!” Leafpaw purred as she saw the dark brown pelt of her uncle.

“Are those the cats you were looking for?” Cody asked. Leafpaw nodded.

“Leafpaw?” Another voice came from the gloom. “It’s me, Stonefur.”

“Stonefur!” Leafpaw echoed. “I thought I found your scent before I was trapped! What were you doing so far from the RiverClan border?”

“I wouldn’t have been caught in that fox-hearted Twoleg trap if I hadn’t been chasing a thieving WindClan warrior off my territory,” growled the tom. A trembling meow sounded from below. 

“I didn’t know it was a trap when I hid in it.”

“Who’s that?” Leafpaw asked, peering down.

“Gorseheart of WindClan,” came the reply.

“Are there any other Clan cats here?” Leafpaw called, only half hoping for a reply. However relieved she was to find that her Clanmates and friends were still alive, she’d far rather no forest cats had been caught at all—herself included. But she heard only the steady crunching of pellets as the other trapped cats ate their food.

“There’s about the same amount of rogues here as Clan

cats,” Stonefur hissed.

“What are rogues?” Cody whispered in alarm.

“They’re cats who choose not to belong to a Clan,” Leafpaw explained. “Or to Twolegs, either.”

“They care only about themselves,” Stonefur added.

“Yeah, well, look where caring about your Clanmates got you,” muttered a reproachful voice near the floor of the nest. Leafpaw strained her eyes and saw a scraggly old tom with ripped ears crouching in a cage on the floor.

“Ignore him,” spat Cody. “He’ll be no help.”

“Do you know him?” Leafpaw asked in surprise.

“He used to steal from my housefolks’ garbage,” Cody explained. “He may call himself a rogue, or whatever, but he’s no better than a rat, if you ask me.”

“Do you live in Twolegplace?” Cloudtail called to Cody. “Do you know a cat called Oliver?”

“White tom?”

“Yes.” Cloudtail’s eyes shone in the gloom. “He’s my father! How is he?”

“He’s great,” Cody answered. “He’s got a few more moons to live, but he’s doing just fine.”

“Look,” Stonefur snapped. “This is all very heartwarming, but can we figure out a way to escape?”

“Does any cat know what the Twolegs are planning to do with us?” Brightheart’s voice was hoarse with terror.

“What do you think they’re going to do with us?” muttered the rogue tom. “They didn’t catch us and lock us up in this stinking hut because they’re fond of cats.”

“At least they’re feeding us,” Cody mewed quickly. “Even if it’s not quite as tasty as I’m used to.” Leafpaw glanced at her. 

“Let’s concentrate on finding a way out of here, like Stonefur suggested,” she mewed.

“Why don’t you all just shut up?” hissed the rogue. “You’ll bring the Twoleg back with all your mewling.”

As he spoke the noise of heavy footsteps sounded outside, and Leafpaw froze. She pressed herself to the back of her cage as the Twoleg came in with another cage. Leafpaw could tell by the fear-scent that a she-cat crouched inside, but she didn’t recognize its smell. With a guilty pang of relief, she knew that the latest victim of the Twoleg traps was definitely not a Clan cat.

Another rogue, she decided as the Twoleg placed the cage on top of Cloudtail’s. And judging by the other rogues in here, she won’t be much help with planning a way to get out.

But as soon as the Twoleg left the nest she heard Stonefur exclaim in astonishment, 

“Sasha!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leafpaw: *Is glum*
> 
> Cody: Cheer up, and clean up girlfriend!


	3. Sparkpaw Now Has Depression (What Is Up With This Family And Depression?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sparkpaw time! We'll have to do Needle time soon....hmmm...

Sparkpaw stepped cautiously through the forest, heading to Thunderclan’s former camp with Cinderpelt limping alongside her. The medicine cat had asked her to come help scrounge any herbs she and Jayfeather had left behind when they had to abandon camp. Sparkpaw, her orange pelt dull and ears drooping, glanced to her right and spotted an alder tree. Unwillingly, she let out a small mew. Sorreltail had told them about the horrifying scene she had witnessed. Leafpaw, trapped in a small Twoleg den, and Alderpaw being shoved into another one when he got caught in a bramble bush. Cinderpelt gently brushed her tail down Sparkpaw’s side. The medicine cat could relate to the apprentice, she too had a sibling missing, Brightheart, presumably taken by the Twolegs as well. The two cats reached the ravine and carefully climbed down, glancing nervously at the crouched Twoleg monsters around the camp. They slid into camp and paused.

“I’ll go to my den,” Cinderpelt meowed. “Take a good sniff around for any more herbs you can find.” Sparkpaw nodded and left the camp, nose to the ground. There were perks to being a close sibling to a medicine cat. Alderpaw had a tendency to mutter the herbs under his breath whenever he was anxious, and Sparkpaw picked up on some of the herbs. The orange tabby drew in a breath, and cat scent drifted across her scent glands. She froze, not recognizing it. Sparkpaw dropped into a crouch and silently crept forward, prowling her way around bushes and slipping easily around close-grown trees. She picked up the scent again and realized that there was another scent. Cat again, both were toms. Sparkpaw, paws light against the ground, kept her ears slightly folded and tail low, not moving it a mouse-length. She hid in a bush and peered out. Across from her, the bushes rustled and a tom stepped out. She let out an attack screech and pounced. Sparkpaw slammed into the tom, bowling him over. He clearly had not expected an attack, especially one from a skinny, dull-furred she-cat who clearly needed some good square meals. The tom was quick to regain his footing and jerked himself around, throwing Sparkpaw off of him. She hissed and spun back around, tail lashing and green eyes blazing. She didn’t bother getting a good look at him, and locked eyes with her opponent. His amber eyes widened, she got ready to pounce once more, but she froze when;

“Sparkpaw?!” Sparkpaw then got a good look at him. In the midst of her battle-rage, she hadn’t recognized the gray pelt.

“Stormfur?” she meowed. “What are you doing here?” another cat came crashing into where Sparkpaw and Stormfur were at.

“What’s going on?” he meowed, fur spiked. Sparkpaw blinked. It was Brambleclaw. “Sparkpaw?” he meowed. She awkwardly waved her tail.

“Hi. Don’t mind me. Just mistook Stormfur for an intruder.” The three of them jumped as a screech came from inside the camp. Sparkpaw gasped. “That was Cinderpelt!” They wasted no time in bursting into camp, fur on end, and ready for a fight.

“We heard fighting,” panted Brambleclaw. He blinked in surprise as he spotted Cinderpelt. “Are you both okay?”

“Brambleclaw! I’m so pleased to see you!” Cinderpelt looked at Stormfur and confusion clouded her gaze for a moment. “What are you doing here?”

“He’s with us,” Brambleclaw explained shortly. “Who attacked you?” He stared around, his hackles raised. “Did you chase them off?”

“Actually, it was me,” Cinderpelt confessed. “I didn’t recognize Squirrelpaw from the top of the rock. I thought she was trying to steal my herbs. Sparkpaw and I came back to fetch some supplies—”

“Come back?” Brambleclaw echoed. “Where is everyone?”

“We had to leave,” Cinderpelt explained, her eyes glistening with distress. 

“The monsters were getting nearer and nearer. Firestar ordered us to abandon the camp.” Sparkpaw meowed.

“When?” Brambleclaw’s eyes were round with astonishment.

“Two moonrises ago.”

“Where did you go?” demanded Squirrelpaw.

“Sunningrocks.” Cinderpelt looked distractedly around the clearing. “I only came back to get some supplies. I don’t have Leafpaw to help me collect fresh herbs, and Jayfeather has enough on his mind, especially since Alderpaw went missing, so we’re always running low. . . .”

“What?” Squirrelpaw meowed, eyes wide. “What happened?”

Cinderpelt glanced at her, eyes full of pity.

“The Twolegs have been setting traps for us,” she said. “Leafpaw was caught in one the day before we abandoned the camp. Sorreltail saw everything but was powerless to help.” Sparkpaw whimpered.

“And they took Alderpaw too. He was with Leafpaw and Sorreltail.” Squirrelpaw looked horrified.

“Where did the Twolegs take them?” Brambleclaw meowed.

“We don’t know.”

“Has Firestar sent out a search patrol?”

“He sent a rescue patrol as soon as Sorreltail returned. But the place where the Twolegs had trapped her was overrun with monsters tearing up the trees, and there was no sign of Leafpaw or Alderpaw.” Cinderpelt stepped forward and pressed her cheek against Squirrelpaw’s. “It wasn’t safe to look for either of them after that,” she murmured. Squirrelpaw pulled away, but Cinderpelt stared intently into her eyes, as if the medicine cat were willing her to understand.

“Your father had to think of the whole Clan,” she meowed. “He couldn’t risk putting more cats in danger to search for Leafpaw.” She looked away, and Squirrelpaw heard bitter regret in her voice as she went on. “I wanted to go out looking myself, but I knew I’d be no use.” She glanced furiously at her hind leg, weakened by an old injury on the Thunderpath. Sparkpaw shuffled her paws.

“I tried to track them,” she meowed. “But I nearly got caught myself. Dovewing and Lionblaze got the Twoleg to drop me, and we got away.” she hung her head. “I found Alderpaw’s scent on a bramble bush, but that was were the trail went cold.” Brambleclaw, Stormfur, and Squirrelpaw all exchanged startled looks.

“How is the Clan managing?” Brambleclaw asked, gently moving the conversation away from the missing cats.

“Not well,” Cinderpelt admitted. “Hollykit died— Ferncloud couldn’t make enough milk to feed her. Prey has been so scarce, we’ve all gone hungry.” Grief made her voice tremble. “Dappletail’s dead too. She ate a rabbit that Twolegs had poisoned to get rid of WindClan.” A look of alarm flashed in her eyes. “You haven’t eaten any rabbits, have you?”

“We haven’t seen any rabbits,” Stormfur replied. “Not even in WindClan territory.”

Cinderpelt lashed her tail. 

“The Twolegs have ruined everything! Brightheart, Cloudtail, and Airleap are missing as well— we think they were captured by Twoleg traps, like Leafpaw and Alderpaw were.”

Brambleclaw dropped his gaze to the cold, muddy ground.

“I didn’t think it could be this bad!” he murmured. “Midnight warned us, but . . .” Cinderpelt was staring at Brambleclaw in confusion.

“Midnight warned you?” she echoed. “What do you mean?”

“Midnight is a badger,” Squirrelpaw explained. “That’s who we went to see.”

“You went to see a badger?” Cinderpelt glanced around as if she expected to see a ferocious black-and-white-striped face appear through the undergrowth behind them. Sparkpaw pricked her ears, green eyes brightening slightly.

“At sun-drown-place,” Squirrelpaw went on.

“I don’t understand,” murmured Cinderpelt.

“StarClan sent us there,” put in Stormfur. “One cat from each Clan.”

“They told us to go to the place where the sun falls into the sea at night,” Brambleclaw added.

“StarClan sent you there?” Cinderpelt gasped. “I . . . we thought they had deserted us.” She stared at Brambleclaw. “StarClan spoke to you?”

“In a dream,” Brambleclaw admitted quietly. Stormfur was kneading the ground, his fur ruffled.

“Feathertail had the same dream.”

“And Crowpaw and Rowanclaw,” Squirrelpaw added. Cinderpelt stared at the three cats, her eyes wide. 

“You must come and tell Firestar everything. We have heard nothing from StarClan since they sent the message about fire and tiger.”

“Fire and tiger?” Squirrelpaw echoed, mystified.

“You’ll learn about it soon enough.” Cinderpelt didn’t meet her gaze. “Come back with me now. The Clan needs to hear your story.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sparkpaw: *Is sad, traumatized, afraid for her brother*
> 
> Yellowfang: Once again, my senses have been activated.
> 
> Yellowfang:
> 
> Yellowfang: Yellow, AWAY! *Poof*


	4. Squirrelpaw And Brambleclaw Explain Themselves (Meanwhile, Jayfeather Bites Everyones’ Heads Off)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last one for today. See you tomorrow!

“Sunningrocks was the safest place to hide,” Cinderpelt told them as she weaved through the bracken.

Squirrelpaw looked surprised. “But there’s so little shelter there!” Squirrelpaw lowered her voice. “And what about RiverClan? They’ve tried to claim it as their territory before—wasn’t Firestar afraid they might attack the Clan?”

“RiverClan has made no threats lately,” Cinderpelt replied. “Sunningrocks is as far from the Twolegs and their tree-destroying monsters as we could get within our territory, and close to what little prey is left in the forest.”

Despite her limp, she led them quickly through the forest, Sparkpaw trotting at her side. The two Thunderclan cats looked beragled, and skinny.

“We’re in much better shape than they are,” Squirrelpaw whispered to Brambleclaw.

“Our journey has made us stronger,” Brambleclaw commented. Squirrelpaw felt an uncomfortable pang of guilt that their long and difficult journey had kept them safer and better fed than the cats they left behind. The sun was sinking in a clear blue sky, and a chill wind swayed the branches above them, tugging at the last stubborn leaves. She paused, listening. A few birds chirped a muted chorus, but in the distance she heard monsters all the time, humming like angry bees. Their sticky stench hung in the air and clung to her fur, and Squirrelpaw realized that she had returned to a forest that no longer smelled or sounded like home. It had become another place, one where cats could not survive.  _ No place left for cats. You stay, monsters tear you too, or you starve with no prey. _ Midnight’s prophecy was already coming true.

The pale gray bulk of Sunningrocks loomed beyond the trees, and Squirrelpaw made out the shapes of cats moving over the stone.

A yowl startled her, and she saw white and ginger fur flashing through the undergrowth. A heartbeat later, Sorreltail and Brackenfur burst out of the bushes in front of them, Dovewing and Lionblaze racing in behind.

“I thought I could smell a familiar scent,” Sorreltail meowed breathlessly.

Squirrelpaw stared at the warriors. They were as disheveled as Cinderpelt and Sparkpaw, and beside her, Brambleclaw’s eyes were wide with shock as his gaze flicked over their gaunt bodies. Dovewing’s gray fur, usually light and fluffy, was now unkempt and pale. Even sturdy Lionblaze looked different, with his normally golden pelt without its sheen and his ribs easy to see under his fur.

“We didn’t think you were coming back,” Brackenfur meowed.

“Of course we were coming back!” Squirrelpaw protested.

“Where have you been?” Sorreltail demanded.

“A long way away,” Stormfur murmured. “Farther than any forest cat has ever been.”

Brackenfur glared suspiciously at the RiverClan warrior.

“Are you on your way home?”

“I need to talk to Graystripe first.” Brackenfur narrowed his eyes.

“Let him come,” Cinderpelt advised. “These cats have a lot to tell us.”

Brackenfur’s whiskers twitched, but he dipped his head and turned to lead the way through the trees toward the rocks.

“Come on,” Sorreltail mewed, padding after Brackenfur. “The others will want to see you.”

Squirrelpaw fell into step beside her, trying to ignore the anxiety that gnawed her stomach like hunger pangs. It was starting to look as if their journey had been in vain, and hearing what Midnight had to tell them had come too late to help the Clans. She prayed that the dying warrior’s sign would be enough to save them. Glancing sideways at Sorreltail, she saw that the tortoiseshell warrior’s tail was drooping and her gaze rested wearily on the ground.

“Cinderpelt told me about Leafpaw,” Squirrelpaw murmured. “And Alderpaw, too.”

“I couldn’t do anything to save them,” Sorreltail answered dully. “I don’t know where they’ve taken them. I wanted to look, but we moved camp the next day, and there hasn’t been a chance.” She paused and looked at Squirrelpaw, her eyes flashing with desperate hope. “Did you see them while you were traveling? Do you know where they are?”

Squirrelpaw’s heart twisted. 

“No, we haven’t seen her.”

The strong, familiar scent of ThunderClan filled the air. Squirrelpaw longed to rush forward to greet her Clanmates, but instinct warned her to approach them warily. She stood still for a moment, hoping that her thudding heart couldn’t be heard by every cat on Sunningrocks.

The smooth stone slope, lined with gullies and small hollows, rose ahead of her. Trees bordered one side, and at the far edge, where the slope fell steeply away, Squirrelpaw could see the tips of more trees, following the river as far as Fourtrees—or the place where Fourtrees had been. The cold stone, blasted by the leaf-bare winds, was a chilly resting place for the Clan. Squirrelpaw looked at Sorreltail’s paws and saw dried blood staining the white fur around her claws. She remembered how the rocks in the mountains had grazed her own paws while they were staying with the Tribe of Rushing Water.

There was no central clearing here for cats to gather, as there had been in the ravine. Instead, the cats were huddled in small groups; Squirrelpaw spotted the dark pelt of her mentor, Dustpelt, sheltering beneath an overhang, with Mousefur next to him. He seemed much smaller than when she had left, his bony shoulders jutting out from beneath his ungroomed fur. Frostfur and Speckletail, two of the Clan elders, were crouched in the deepest gully. Brindleface and Whitestorm, with Willowpelt beside him, were meowing quietly, worry etched on their faces. Even in the shadows, Squirrelpaw could see that their pelts were matted and dull, speckled with scraps of moss and dried mud. Farther down, where the gully widened, the pale gray shape of Dustpelt’s mate, Ferncloud, was hunched over her two remaining kits.

“It’s more sheltered down there,” Cinderpelt explained, following Squirrelpaw’s gaze. “But the queens still feel very exposed after being used to a nursery made of brambles. The apprentices make their nests in that hollow over there,” she went on, lifting her muzzle to point at a dip in the rocks. Squirrelpaw recognized the brown fur of Shrewpaw, one of Ferncloud’s first litter, fluffed up against the cold.

Squirrelpaw glanced at Brambleclaw, who gave her a tiny nod, but there was anxiety behind his eyes, and his shoulders were tense as he began to pad up the slope. Nervously she followed him. As she passed Ferncloud, the queen looked up at her, and her green eyes were emotionless. Squirrelpaw flinched. Did the Clan blame them for what had happened?

Some of the other cats had spotted them too. Thornclaw heaved himself out of a gully near the top of the slope, flattening his ears; with a menacing hiss, Rainwhisker padded from a crevice at the edge of the rocks. The dark gray warrior’s eyes gleamed, but not with any warmth or welcome for the returning cats.

Stormfur was scanning the rocks for Graystripe. Squirrelpaw followed his gaze, but there was no sign of the gray ThunderClan deputy, or of her own father. She fought down the urge to turn tail and flee back to the forest, back to the mountains even. She miserably met Brambleclaw’s gaze.

“They don’t want us here,” she whispered.

“They’ll understand once we’ve explained,” he promised. Squirrelpaw hoped he was right. The sound of rapid pawsteps behind them made her spin around, startled. A pale gray warrior, Ashfur, skidded to a halt in front of her. She searched his eyes, afraid to find rage, but there was only surprise.

“You came back!” He held his tail high and reached out his muzzle to touch hers in greeting.  **(BACK AWAY FROM BRAMBLE’S GIRL, ASHY!)** Squirrelpaw felt a rush of relief. At least one cat seemed glad they had returned.  **(You won’t be glad to be seeing him soon Squirrelpaw.)**

Shrewpaw scrambled out of his hollow and raced across the rock toward them, with Whitepaw close behind.

“Shrewpaw!” Squirrelpaw cried, trying to sound as if she’d been no farther than Highstones, and for no more than a couple of sunrises. “How’s the training going?”

“We’ve been working hard,” Shrewpaw answered breathlessly as he reached her.

Whitepaw halted beside him. 

“We would have seen our first Gathering if the Twolegs hadn’t destroyed Four—”

Ashfur shot the white she-cat a warning glance. 

“They won’t have heard about that yet,” he hissed.

“It’s okay,” Brambleclaw put in. “We know about Fourtrees. Webfoot told us.”

“Webfoot?” Ashfur narrowed his eyes. “Have you been on WindClan territory?”

“We had to travel back that way,” Squirrelpaw explained.

“Back from where?” meowed Shrewpaw, but Squirrelpaw didn’t answer. She had seen Dustpelt and Mousefur emerging from their makeshift den. Sootfur crept out from a hollow beside them. All the warriors were moving closer now, like ghosts slipping through the shadows. Squirrelpaw stifled a shiver as they padded down the rock. She backed away, brushing against Brambleclaw’s pelt and feeling Stormfur edge closer, equally wary. It reminded her of their first meeting with the cats from the Tribe of Rushing Water. Fear stabbed Squirrelpaw’s heart as she realized that it was not just the forest that had changed. Her own Clan was different, too.

“So? Where did you go?” growled a distinctive voice. Frostfur had climbed out of the elders’ gully above them. The old she-cat had lost much of the sleekness from her snowwhite pelt, but Squirrelpaw still flinched under her icy stare.

“We’ve been on a long journey,” Brambleclaw began.

“You don’t look like it!” Ferncloud had left her kits and pushed her way to the front. “You look better fed than us.”

Squirrelpaw tried not to feel guilty about the amount of fresh-kill she had caught on the journey. 

“Ferncloud, I heard about Hollykit, and I’m sorry. . . .”

Ferncloud was in no mood to listen. 

“How do we know you didn’t just desert the Clan because you couldn’t face a hungry leaf-bare with the rest of us?” she hissed.

Squirrelpaw heard Mousefur and Thornclaw mew in agreement, but this time anger overcame her fear. 

“How could you think such a thing?” she spat, her fur bristling.

“Well, your loyalty clearly lies outside the Clan!” growled Mousefur, staring at Stormfur.

“Our loyalty has always been to the Clan,” Brambleclaw replied evenly. “That’s why we left.”

“Then what’s a RiverClan warrior doing with you?” Thornclaw demanded.

“He has some news for Graystripe,” Brambleclaw meowed. “He’ll leave as soon as he’s spoken to him.”

“He’ll leave now,” Mousefur hissed, taking one pace forward.

“Would you all shut-up for one moment?!” someone screeched. Squirrelpaw blinked. Jayfeather was glaring - but not at them. His blind blue gaze was looking furiously at the cats who were aggressively questioning them. His gray tabby pelt, like everyone else’s was scraggly, and he was thinner than ever. “Don’t any of you remember what I said at the Gathering? They were sent off on a quest by Starclan themselves! They didn’t run off because of leaf-bare,” he snapped his gaze to Ferncloud. “And their loyalty is as strong as ever!” if looks were claws, Mousefur and Thornclaw would be shredded meat on the ground. “Now if you don’t mind, I have some herbs I need to get ready so our hunger may be satisfied for a few heart-beats!” Jayfeather whipped around and stalked away to a cleft where he and Cinderpelt had made their den. Lionblaze bent over and explained;

“Ever since Alderpaw went missing, Jayfeather has been more irritable than ever. It’s his way of showing that he’s worried, but doesn’t want to admit it.” Cinderpelt stepped between Mousefur and Brambleclaw, effectively taking the attention off of Jayfeather, who was glaring at some piles of leaves, ears flat and shoulders hunched.

“Tell them about StarClan’s prophecy,” she urged.

“A prophecy? StarClan has spoken?” Squirrelpaw’s Clanmates stared at her and Brambleclaw like hungry foxes.

“We must tell Firestar first,” Squirrelpaw mewed quietly.

“Where’s Firestar?” Brambleclaw called out.

“He’s away hunting.” It was Sandstorm’s voice. Squirrelpaw waited breathlessly, half-joyful and half-anxious, as the ginger she-cat padded toward her daughter and stopped a tail-length away to stare at her.

“We’re back.” Squirrelpaw searched her mother’s expression for some sign of welcome.

“You’re back,” Sandstorm echoed wonderingly.

“We had to leave. StarClan gave us no choice.” Brambleclaw defended Squirrelpaw, and she was grateful for the warmth of his flank as he pressed closer.  **(BRAMBLESQUIRREL VIBES)** She wanted to confess to her mother that StarClan had not sent the dreams to her, and that she had insisted on going along with Brambleclaw even though he had been reluctant to take her away from the Clan, but fear made the words stick in her throat.

Then Sandstorm’s whiskers quivered and she bounded forward. 

“One of my kits has returned!” she mewed, rubbing her cheek against Squirrelpaw’s with fierce love. She felt a rush of relief. 

“I’m sorry I left without telling you, but—”

“You’re back,” Sandstorm meowed. “That’s all I care about.” Her warm breath grazed Squirrelpaw’s muzzle. “I wondered if I’d ever see you again.”

Squirrelpaw heard a soft purr trembling in her mother’s throat. It reminded her of when she was a kit, curled in the nursery, her sister at her side.  _ Oh, Leafpaw! Where are you? _

A deep meow interrupted them. “It seems that I have my apprentice back,” Dustpelt commented. He was as gaunt and hunted-looking as the other warriors, but his eyes were filled with warmth as he came over to greet her.

“Wherever you have been, you ate well,” he remarked, his eyes widening as he looked at Squirrelpaw’s sturdy muscles and glossy coat. The tip of Brambleclaw’s tail twitched. 

“We were lucky. There was plenty of fresh-kill where we traveled.”

“Fresh-kill is what we need more than anything,” mewed Dustpelt. “If you have found good hunting, the Clan should know where.”

“It’s a long way away,” Brambleclaw warned. Dustpelt flicked his ears. 

“Then it is not for us,” he meowed. “We have made our home here. We will not let the Twolegs and their monsters drive us out again.” A faint, defiant ripple of agreement sounded from the other cats.

Squirrelpaw stared at them in horror. But they had to leave! Midnight had told them that the Clans would have to find a new home—the dying warrior was going to show them the way—and Squirrelpaw had assumed that the fact that ThunderClan had been driven out of their camp would make the task of persuading them to leave a little easier.

Then she saw a figure on top of the rock, silhouetted against the rosy evening sky. Even though the shadows made it impossible to tell what color the cat’s pelt was, there was no mistaking the powerful shoulders, lean figure, and the long tail held aloft in greeting.

“Firestar!” Squirrelpaw called.

“Squirrelpaw!” Firestar bounded down the rock, then halted. His whiskers twitched for a heartbeat before he thrust his head forward and licked Squirrelpaw’s ear. She closed her eyes and purred, briefly forgetting the horror that was engulfing the forest. She buried her nose into her father’s fur, drinking in his warm, familiar scent. She was home, and that was all that mattered. Firestar stepped back. 

“Where have you been?” he demanded.

“We’ve got so much to tell you,” she answered quickly.

“We?” Firestar echoed. “Is Brambleclaw with you?”

“Yes, I’m here.” Brambleclaw pushed his way through the cats and stood beside Squirrelpaw, dipping his head in respect. The rest of the Clan waited, their eyes glinting in the half-light, and even the wind dropped, as if the forest were holding its breath.

“Welcome home, Brambleclaw.” Firestar meowed, touching noses with his former apprentice.

A flurry of gray fur caught Squirrelpaw’s eye, no more than a shadow flitting down the darkening slope. It was Graystripe. He skidded to a halt beside Firestar. 

“So, fire and tiger have returned!” he purred.

“Fire and tiger?” Squirrelpaw echoed. What did Graystripe mean?

“There’s time to tell them about that later,” Firestar murmured, his gaze flicking around the watching Clan.

“Oh, of course,” Graystripe meowed, dipping his head. Then his eyes brightened once more. 

“Have you seen my two kits?” He glanced hopefully from Squirrelpaw to Brambleclaw. Squirrelpaw nodded. 

“They went with us,” she explained.

“Stormfur—”

“I’m here.” Stormfur pushed his way through the cats. Graystripe’s ears twitched in surprise and pleasure.

“Stormfur!” He hurried forward and greeted his son with delighted purrs. “You’re safe!” He glanced back at Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw. “You’re all safe. I can’t believe it.” Squirrelpaw’s heart tightened.

“Where’s Feathertail?” Graystripe’s gaze flicked past Stormfur as if he expected to see the pale-gray she-cat waiting at the foot of the rocks. Jayfeather glanced up from his herbs, sympathy in his eyes. Cinderheart, who had joined Dovewing at her mate’s side, exchanged a sorrowful look with each other. Squirrelpaw stared at her paws. Poor, poor Stormfur. He brought the worst news of all, to RiverClan as well as ThunderClan.

“Where is she?” Graystripe asked, sounding puzzled.

“She’s not with us,” Stormfur replied. He looked directly into his father’s eyes. “She died on the journey.”

Graystripe stared at him in disbelief.

Firestar lifted his chin. 

“Graystripe and Stormfur should be left to grieve in peace,” he called to the Clan. Squirrelpaw felt a ripple of gratitude toward her father. At least they could explain everything to Graystripe away from the scrutiny of the others. As Firestar guided their Clanmates away up the slope, she pressed closer to Brambleclaw.  **(SQUEEEE!!! I’M FANGIRLING HERE!)**

Graystripe was gazing at the rock beneath his paws as though he held an adder there and dared not release it in case it bit him.

“We couldn’t have saved her,” Stormfur told him. He gently nudged his father’s shoulder with his nose.

Graystripe swung his head toward Brambleclaw. 

“You should never have taken her away!” His eyes gleamed with anger.

Squirrelpaw flicked her tail. 

“It’s not his fault! It was StarClan who chose Feathertail to go on the journey, not Brambleclaw!”

Graystripe closed his eyes. His shoulders sagged until he looked half his usual size. 

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “It’s just so unfair. She was so much like Silverstream. . . .”

As his voice trailed away, Stormfur laid his muzzle against Graystripe’s flank. “Feathertail died a brave and noble death, worthy of the greatest warrior,” he told him. “StarClan chose her to go on the journey, and then the Tribe of Endless Hunting chose her to fulfill a prophecy of their own. You would have been proud of her. She saved us all, not just the Tribe.”

“The Tribe?” Graystripe echoed.

Squirrelpaw could hear the other cats milling about farther up the slope. Their murmuring grew louder and more impatient until Firestar silenced them, his voice ringing across the rock. 

“I know you all want to hear where Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw have been,” he meowed. “Let them tell me first; then I promise I will share everything with you.”

“I want to hear why my apprentice left,” Dustpelt growled.

“And what about the prophecy they mentioned?” Mousefur demanded. “We have to know what it is!”

Brambleclaw put his muzzle against Squirrelpaw’s ear. 

“It sounds like we’d better join them.” He looked at Stormfur. “Are you coming?”

“Thank you, Brambleclaw,” Stormfur answered, “but I’d like to go home.” He gazed at Graystripe. “They will tell you the whole story, but I wanted you to know you would have been very proud of Feathertail,” he said. “She died to save us.”

Graystripe blinked and did not reply. Stormfur turned to Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw. 

“I know it’s going to be difficult,” he murmured, “but we have to keep going with what we know to be right. Remember what Midnight told us. We’re doing this for all our Clans.”

Brambleclaw solemnly dipped his head. Squirrelpaw leaned forward to press her muzzle against Stormfur’s cheek.

“See you tomorrow at Fourtrees,” she whispered. Her paws trembled with the pain of saying good-bye to one of her closest friends. For more than a moon she hadn’t thought of him as RiverClan and herself as ThunderClan—they were merely Clan together, struggling to finish their journey and save all the cats in the forest.

As Stormfur padded down the slope, Squirrelpaw saw Mousefur and Thornclaw staring reproachfully at her from up on the slope. Ashfur was gazing between her and Stormfur through narrowed eyes.  **(Hehehe...I’m setting it all up….)** She knew how disloyal her affection for the RiverClan warrior must appear, but she was too sad and too tired to bother explaining what their journey meant for the six cats who had traveled to the sun-drown-place—and the five who had made it home.

“All right,” Firestar meowed. “The senior warriors will join us to hear what Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw have to say. Cinderpelt as well, and.” He gave a questioning look to the futures. Lionblaze nodded. He gestured with his nose to the overhang where Squirrelpaw had seen Dustpelt and Mousefur sheltering. “We’ll meet up there.”

Snorting, Mousefur turned and began to climb the slope toward the overhang. Graystripe and Dustpelt followed her. As Firestar, Cinderpelt, and Sandstorm padded after them, Squirrelpaw stood still for a moment, letting the breeze ripple her fur. She didn’t care how cold she got—in a way, the colder she was, the closer she came to sharing her Clanmates’ suffering. **(Wait, is Squirrel now depressed? Does depression run in Fire’s family or something?)** There wouldn’t need to be any strength in the wind for it to slice through their unkempt fur.

Suddenly she heard Thornclaw let out a low growl. She turned, alarmed, and saw Stormfur standing at the foot of the rocky slope with a plump fish in his mouth.

“What’s the matter?” snarled Thornclaw. “Don’t your own Clan want you back?”

The RiverClan warrior dropped the fish by his forepaws.

“I have brought a gift from RiverClan.”

“We don’t need your gifts!” Frostfur spat.

There was a quiet padding of paws behind Squirrelpaw, and Firestar spoke. 

“It was kindly meant, Frostfur.” There was a note of warning in his voice for the elder. “Thank you, Stormfur.”

Stormfur didn’t reply; he just looked up at the ThunderClan leader with his eyes full of sadness. His gaze rested briefly on Squirrelpaw; then he dipped his head and disappeared into the reeds that led down to the water, leaving the fish behind.

Squirrelpaw’s belly growled with hunger. She had not eaten since they left the Twoleg territory on the far side of the moorland.

“You’ll have to wait till later and see if you can track down a mouse or two,” Firestar meowed, hearing her belly complain. “We must feed Ferncloud and the elders first. You’re going to have to get used to hunger now that you are back with the Clan.”

Squirrelpaw nodded, trying to readjust. She had grown used to hunting when she felt hungry, sharing only with her friends. Firestar called down to Thornclaw, 

“Divide the fish between Ferncloud and the elders,” before turning back toward the overhang.

As Squirrelpaw slipped beneath the jutting rock, she saw that it reached back farther than she had expected. Smooth rock shielded the sides of the cave, but a chill wind swirled through the opening, stirring the jumbled scents of many cats. Her heart ached for the order and comfort of the old camp, and she closed her eyes, wishing that when she opened them again, she would see the thickly laced branches of the apprentices’ den around her instead of cold, hard stone.

“All the warriors share this den,” Dustpelt murmured in her ear, as if he had guessed what she was thinking. “There are not as many suitable sleeping places here.”

Squirrelpaw opened her eyes and looked around the hollow with rage pulsing through her paws. Twolegs had driven her Clan to this! The least she could do was lead them to a place of safety, where there would be proper sleeping places and enough fresh-kill for all the cats.

“At least there’s a little shelter,” muttered Sandstorm, although her fluffed-up fur suggested she was chilled to the bone.

Firestar sat near the back of the hollow. Sandstorm and Graystripe settled on either side of him. The ThunderClan deputy was hunched over in his private misery; Cinderpelt sat beside him, concern clouding her eyes. Jayfeather sat beside her, paws tucked under him, and eyes dull. Lionblaze was laying beside, sitting straight up, ears pricked, like he was protecting his brother from the outside world.

“Now,” Firestar began, curling his tail over his paws. “Tell me everything from the beginning.”

Squirrelpaw felt the questioning eyes of her Clanmates burn into her pelt. Brambleclaw swept his tail along her flank before facing Firestar.

“StarClan visited me in a dream and told me to go to the sun-drown-place,” he explained. “I-I didn’t know if I should believe it at first, but StarClan sent the same dream to a cat from each of the other Clans: Crowpaw of WindClan, Feathertail of RiverClan, and Rowanclaw of ShadowClan.”

Firestar tipped his head to one side as Brambleclaw went on. “We were all told to make the journey to hear what Midnight told us.”

“What  _ midnight _ told you?” Dustpelt echoed, bemused.

Firestar’s green gaze rested on Squirrelpaw, and she forced herself not to duck away.  **(I firmly believe that Fire has one** **_intense_ ** **stare.)**

“Did you have this dream too?” he asked.

“No,” she confessed. “But I had to . . . I wanted to go. . . .”

She searched for the words to explain why she left, but she did not want to tell Firestar that she had been trying to escape their quarrel. She fell silent, hanging her head.

“I’m glad she came with us!” Brambleclaw burst out. “She was equal to any of the warriors!”

After what seemed like nine lifetimes, Firestar nodded.

“Carry on, Brambleclaw.”

“We headed toward the sun-drown-place, thanks to Ravenpaw’s help. He’d heard about the place of endless water from other rogue cats.”

“It was such a long way,” Squirrelpaw put in. “We thought we were lost so many times.”

“Ravenpaw told us which direction to go, but we didn’t know exactly how to get there,” Brambleclaw explained. “But StarClan had sent us, so we had to keep going.”

“Even though we didn’t know why they had sent us,” Squirrelpaw added.

Brambleclaw flexed his claws, making a tiny scraping sound on the hard floor. 

“We were only trying to do our duty to the Clan,” he murmured.

“A loner helped us through Twolegplace,” Squirrelpaw went on, remembering Purdy’s rather erratic sense of direction.

“And eventually we came to the sun-drown-place. It was like nothing we’d seen before,” Brambleclaw mewed. “High sandy cliffs with caves underneath, and dark blue water for as far as any cat could see, endlessly washing up and down the shore. The crashing water frightened us at first, it was so loud.”

“Then Brambleclaw fell in. I rescued him, but we were in a cave, and then we found Midnight.” Squirrelpaw’s words tumbled out incoherently.

“What do you mean, you ‘found midnight’?” Dustpelt demanded.

Brambleclaw shuffled his paws. 

“Midnight is a badger,” he meowed at last. “StarClan wanted us to find her because she could tell us what StarClan wanted us to know.”

“And what did she tell you?” Firestar’s ears twitched as he spoke.

“That the Twolegs would destroy the whole forest and leave us to starve,” Squirrelpaw mewed, her heart suddenly hammering as hard as the first time she had heard Midnight’s warning.

“She told us to lead you away from the forest and find a new home,” Brambleclaw added.

“New home?” Sandstorm stared at him in disbelief.

“So we should leave the forest just because a badger we’ve never heard of thinks it would be a good idea?” Dustpelt meowed.

Squirrelpaw closed her eyes. Was ThunderClan going to ignore Midnight’s warning? Had their journey and Feathertail’s death been for nothing? Jayfeather raised his head.

“Midnight is a friend to Starclan. They shared with her the secrets of the clans. All of them.” He licked a paw. “She’s visited me before, in visions and dreams. She can be trusted.”

“Did she say how we should find this place?” Graystripe sat up and leaned closer, the tip of his tail twitching after Jayfeather finished.

Midnight’s words echoed in Squirrelpaw’s mind once more and she found herself repeating them out loud. 

“‘You will not be without a guide’—that’s what she said. ‘When return, stand on Great Rock when Silverpelt shines above. A dying warrior the way will show.’”

“Have you been to the Great Rock yet to look for this sign?” Firestar asked. Brambleclaw shook his head. 

“We were going to meet there tomorrow with Rowanclaw, Stormfur, and Crowpaw. We were going to bring our leaders, if we could persuade them to come. . . .”

“Are you going to go?” Mousefur flattened her ears.

“Nothing would keep me away,” Firestar replied. Dustpelt stared wide-eyed at his leader. 

“You’re not actually thinking of taking the Clan out of the forest, are you?”

“Right now, I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Firestar admitted. “But I’m not sure the Clan can survive leaf-bare.” He met Dustpelt’s stare, and for a moment Squirrelpaw saw his eyes flash. “I cannot let my Clan suffer if there’s anything I can do to prevent it. We cannot ignore this message, however it came to us. It may be our only hope of survival. If there is a sign, I want to see it for myself.”

He straightened and looked at Brambleclaw. 

“Tomorrow, I will go with you to Fourtrees.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thunderclan: *Is being unreasonable*
> 
> Jayfeather: Shut ya traps and listen, ya morans!
> 
> Also Jayfeather: STARCLAN I SWEAR, YOU BRING ALDERPAW BACK OR YOU WILL REGRET IT!!!


	5. Thunderstar: Inspiring Break Outs Since 1876

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heya! I've got three more coming.

“Sasha!” Stonefur called again. “Is that you?”

There was no reply.

Alderpaw pressed his muzzle against the web and peered out. He had heard of Sasha, and was curious to see the rogue she-cat who had taken Tigerstar as her mate and given birth to Frogspeck, Mothwing, and Hawkfrost while staying with RiverClan. But in the half-light of the wooden nest, he could only just make out Sasha’s tawny pelt huddled at the back of the cage the Twoleg had just brought in.

“Sasha, are you okay?” Stonefur called more urgently.

“Give her time to recover,” Cody advised. “The new ones are always quiet.”

“I don’t need time to recover,” came a furious hiss. “How dare they put me in here? If I could get out, I’d rip that Twoleg to shreds!”

“What were you doing in the forest?” Stonefur asked.

“I wanted to see my kits,” Sasha replied. “I had heard about the Twolegs destroying the forest, and I wanted to make sure they were safe.”

“I saw Mothwing not long ago!” Leafpaw mewed. “She was fine. She’s going to be a medicine cat.”

“Who’s that speaking?” Sasha called.

“I’m Leafpaw, ThunderClan’s apprentice medicine cat,” Leafpaw told her. “I’m friends with Mothwing.”

“Do you know Frogspeck and Hawkfrost too?” Sasha demanded. “Are they safe?”

Leafpaw did not answer. Stonefur called from his cage, 

“Hawkfrost was fine when I saw him last.” Then Leafpaw meowed;

“And Frogspeck helped Mothwing and I fix up Reedpaw’s wound, so I think he’s okay.”

“Thank goodness,” Sasha breathed. She then caught sight of Alderpaw. “You’re Alderpaw, right?” he nodded. Sasha tipped her head. “My kits mentioned that you, your sister, and some others were from the future. And, well, that you’re kin to Tigerstar.” A gasp came from above. Looking up, Alderpaw felt his pelt prickle awkwardly as Leafpaw’s curious gaze met his amber eyes.

“You are?” she asked. Alderpaw hesitated, then nodded. Looking back at Sasha, Alderpaw wondered why she was asked that question. Then he saw a hopeful look on her face.  _ Oh, does she-does she think I’m one of her kits’ kits? Oh….but how can I tell the truth with Leafpaw listening in? _ Then Alderpaw made a decision.

“Leafpaw,” he meowed. “Can you promise not to tell anyone else about what I’m about to say?” Leafpaw slowly nodded. “Okay,” puffed Alderpaw. “My sister and I are kin to Tigerstar, but our father is Brambleclaw.” Leafpaw’s mouth dropped open.

“That’s why your eyes are familiar!” she exclaimed. “They’re just like Brambleclaw’s!” she glanced at the other trapped clan cats, seeing the unsurprised looks on their faces. “Wait, you knew?” Cloudtail nodded.

“We did,” Airleap meowed. “But we all decided to keep it a secret.”

“At least until Brambleclaw and Squirrelfli-paw get together.” Alderpaw meowed. Leafpaw blinked.

“Squirrelpaw is your mother?!” she meowed. Alderpaw nodded. Sasha sighed.

“I won’t tell either,” she meowed. “But thanks for clearing that up.” Cody was looking confused.

“How can Leafpaw’s sister be Alderpaw’s mother if she’s younger than him?” 

“Alderpaw and his sister are from the future,” Leafpaw explained. The kittypet and herself hadn’t heard the beginning of Alderpaw and Sasha’s conversation. “Some other cats are to.”

“Woah!” Cody meowed. “That’s cool!”

“You’re a kittypet, aren’t you?” Sasha suddenly asked Cody bluntly. “You sound too polite for a rogue, and you look too fat to be a Clan cat.” Cody bristled.

“Cody’s a friend!” Leafpaw mewed, leaping to her defense.

“I didn’t say she wasn’t,” Sasha meowed. “I’m just trying to work out who’s who in this place.”

Stonefur explained: 

“They’re mostly rogues, but there are a few other forest cats here.” Gorseheart, Brightheart, Cloudtail, and Airleap meowed greetings as Stonefur went on, “Cody’s the only kittypet, as far as we know.”

“Have any of you worked out a way to escape from this foxhole?” Sasha asked.

“Not yet,” Stonefur admitted.

“Even StarClan hasn’t given us a clue,” Leafpaw added.

“StarClan!” In the shadows, Sasha curled her lip. “Do you Clan cats still believe in that nonsense after what’s happened to the forest?”

“Of course we do!” Leafpaw hissed. Alderpaw quietly meowed;

“They are with us. They sent a cat from each clan to receive a message and to bring it back to the clans.”

“Well, then say a prayer for me, little one,” Sasha sighed unexpectedly. “I think we’re all going to need as much help as we can get.”

Sunhigh passed, and the tepid warmth of the afternoon sun began to fade.

“Here comes the Twoleg again,” Cody called to the other cats.

Over the distant grumbling of the Twoleg monsters, Alderpaw heard footsteps outside and instinctively crouched at the back of his cage. The nest door opened and the Twoleg came in carrying the food pellets. It opened the door to Alderpaw’s cage and he froze, raising a paw defensively. The Twoleg filled the round object in the cage with food, and stretched out a paw, rubbing it along Alderpaw’s neck and back. The apprentice stiffened and didn’t relax until the cage door closed once more. He shuddered as the Twoleg moved on to Cody’s cage.

“There’s no way you’ll persuade that Twoleg to let us out of here by purring at it,” Alderpaw heard Leafpaw whisper to Cody as the Twoleg began putting in more food.

“I guess not,” Cody shrugged. “But it won’t hurt to make him trust me.”

As she spoke a hiss exploded from the cage next to her. The Twoleg leaped backward from Coal’s open door. Blood trickled down its forepaw as it stamped around the nest, spitting in rage. Alderpaw strained to see Coal through the cages. He could just make out his shadowy outline as he flattened himself against the floor. The blood pulsed in his ears as he glanced over his shoulder at the Twoleg. It had stopped screeching and was staring menacingly at Coal.

Suddenly, with a vicious cry, it thrust its paw back into the cage, and Alderpaw flinched as he heard the tom screech in pain. The dark red tom hated hearing others in pain. It made his fur stand on end. 

Muttering, the Twoleg slammed the door shut. When the Twoleg opened Cody’s door and tipped pellets into her pot, the kittypet shied away. She was not purring at it now.

As soon as the Twoleg had gone, Leafpaw yowled, 

“Are you okay, Coal?”

A muffled groan came from the cage beyond Cody’s.

“That stinking Twoleg!”

Alderpaw sniffed the air and smelled the warm tang of blood.

“It looks bad,” Cody whispered to Leafpaw. “There’s blood on the floor of his cage.”

“Where are you hurt?” Leafpaw asked Coal.

“I’ve cut my leg,” replied the rogue. “That badger-pawed Twoleg shoved me against something sharp.”

“Can any cat reach a cobweb?” Alderpaw called. “Come on; we have to help him!”

“There’s one near me,” answered Gorseheart. “I think I can reach it. Hang on.”

Peering out, Alderpaw saw Gorseheart’s ginger and white paw reach out from his cage. A large cobweb stretched from the floor of the nest to the top of his cage. He reached toward it, squeezing his foreleg through the hole in the side of his cage. Finally he managed to plunge his paw into the thick tangle and drag it down. Twisting his foreleg around, Gorseheart held the cobweb as far up toward Leafpaw as he could.

Leafpaw flattened herself against the cage and pushed her paw through the shiny floor. It scraped against her fur, but forced her leg through a little more until she could take the wad of sticky cobweb from Gorsetail. She pulled it quickly into her cage and then began passing it to Cody. 

“Give him this!” she urged, squeezing the last pieces of cobweb through with her paws. Cody nodded, unable to talk because she was holding a wad of cobweb in her mouth. As she dragged it into her cage, some of it stuck to the sides of the hole, wasting a few of the precious threads.

“Be careful!” Leafpaw gasped.

The voice of a rogue beneath them called anxiously up.

“There’s blood dripping through the top of my cage! That cat’s badly hurt.”

“Coal! Are you okay?” Alderpaw called, worried.

“It won’t stop bleeding,” Coal replied, his voice trembling.

“Take the cobweb from Cody!” Leafpaw ordered. “Press it against the wound for as long as you can.”

The kittypet passed the cobweb through to the next cage, followed by the sound of Coal’s paws scrabbling on the blood-soaked floor.

“Don’t panic, Coal!” Alderpaw mewed. “Just press the cobweb onto the wound.”

“It’s already soaked with blood!” Coal panted.

“That’s okay,” Leafpaw reassured him. “It’ll still stop any more blood coming. Just hold it in place!”

They waited. Silence gripped the nest. Alderpaw’s head began to spin, and his breathing started coming in gasps. Sasha gave him a concerned look.

“You okay?” she asked. Alderpaw forced himself to take slow, deep breaths.

“I’m good,” he meowed. “Just an anxiety attack.” the rouge nodded, concern still in her eyes.

“Is he okay?” Brightheart called after a while.

“The blood’s stopped dripping on me!” reported the rogue from underneath Coal’s cage.

“Coal?” Leafpaw called. “How is it?”

A ragged sigh came from Coal’s cage. 

“That’s better,” he murmured. “It didn’t even sting.”

Alderpaw felt a rush of relief. 

“Keep the cobweb there for a bit longer,” he told him. “Then you can give the cut a gentle lick to clean it. Not too fierce—you don’t want it to start bleeding again.” Alderpaw then closed his eyes and began to take slow, deep breaths, calming himself down. Above him, he heard Leapaw mutter;

“These are disgusting,” as she took a mouthful of the food.

“Not the best I’ve tasted,” agreed Cody. “My housefolk tried to give me something similar once, but I soon let them know what I thought, and they never gave them to me again.”

Leafpaw nearly choked with surprise. 

“You can make your Twolegs do what you want?”

“They’re not so hard to train,” Cody mewed. She sat up and began washing her paws.

Sasha called across the nest, 

“Can you train the mongrel that hurt Coal to be gentler?”

“I doubt it,” Cody answered. “These workfolk are nothing like my housefolk.”

Alderpaw saw Brightheart’s face appear behind the mesh of her cage. The ginger patches on her white fur looked almost black in the dim light.

“What do you think they’re going to do with us?” she whispered.

“Perhaps they’re going to turn us into kittypets?” Leafpaw suggested. Much as Alderpaw disliked the idea, at least that might give them a chance to escape and return to the Clan.

There was a snort from Sasha’s cage. 

“I don’t think so,” she rasped. “We’re hardly the sort of fluffy, pampered cats that Twolegs go for.”

Leafpaw glanced at Cody, hoping she wouldn’t take offense, but to her surprise the kittypet was nodding.

“Sasha’s right,” she agreed. “These folk don’t care about cats—Clan, rogue, or kittypet. Trust me, I know the sort of— what do you call them? Twolegs?—that make good housefolk. These just want to get rid of us.”

Alderpaw tried to swallow, but his mouth had suddenly become too dry. He lapped a few mouthfuls of slimy water and fought the urge to curl up in the back of the cage and lose himself in dreams. He knew Starclan was with them, all the way up to the ancient leaders of the five clans. Alderpaw blinked and his eyes widened as he spotted a sparkling figure. Big orange tom, huge white paws, and amber eyes. Thunderstar gave Alderpaw a nod and disappeared. The dark red tom pricked his ears.

“Did you see that?” he asked, not sure who he was talking to.

“See what?” Leafpaw asked. He pointed with a paw to where Thunderstar was.

“That tom. Big orange tom, white paws, amber eyes. Did you see him?” Leafpaw shook her head. “I’ve seen him before,” he meowed, amber eyes bright. “He talked to me at the Moonstone, and he and the other first leaders were the ones who sent us back in time.” Leafpaw’s eyes widened.

“Who was he?”

“Thunderstar.” Alderpaw meowed. Brightheart’s head shot up, shock in her eyes, and Stonefur’s mouth dropped open.

“You mean, like, the first leader of Thunderclan?” the Riverclan deputy meowed. Alderpaw nodded.

“Then,” Brightheart meowed. “Starclan  _ is _ with us. Even here!” Leafpaw was looking around, like she was thinking of something.

“Cody,” she mewed. “You told me you tried reaching the catch that keeps the cage locked.”

“Yes, but I couldn’t get a grip on it,” Cody confirmed.

“What about the rest of you?” Leafpaw called out to the other cats. “Can anyone undo his catch?”

“Mine’s too stiff,” replied Gorseheart.

“My web is ripped,” Cloudtail reported. “I can almost get two paws out, but I can’t reach the catch.”

“You’re all wasting your time,” Sasha growled. “Face it, there’s no way out of here.”

“There must be!” Leafpaw meowed. “Thunderstar was here, he was here to remind us that this is not impossible! There  _ is _ a way out, we just have to find it!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thunderstar: *Appears*
> 
> Alderpaw: ReVoLuTiOn!!!!!
> 
> Leafpaw: REVOLUTION!!!


	6. Needlepaw VS External & Internal Fights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two more to go.

Squirrelpaw followed her father as he joined the other cats at the bottom of the Great Rock. She glanced at Crowpaw, Stormfur, and Rowanclaw, desperate to know how their Clans had received them, but they stood silently beside their leaders.

“How will we climb it now?” Tallstar asked, his voice trembling as he stared up the sheer rock face towering above them. Even half-hidden in shadow, the black-and-white WindClan leader looked so frail that Squirrelpaw was surprised he had managed the journey here at all.

“These marks will give us a grip,” Leopardstar said, stretching her forepaws up the smooth rock to where the monsters’ talons had scraped long wounds into the hard stone.

She pushed her hind paws into the mud and scrabbled upward. Blackstar clawed his way after her to the top of the rock. He looked strong and determined, but his dull black pelt hung from his bony frame as he climbed. Tallstar watched them, his thin frame seeming smaller than ever.

“I’ll follow you,” Firestar offered.

Tallstar nodded and scrambled up toward the lowest gouge mark, clinging to the slippery rock with his claws. Firestar sprang after him, propping the WindClan leader with his shoulder to stop him sliding back down again.

“Shouldn’t we climb the Great Rock too, to see Midnight’s dying warrior?” Squirrelpaw whispered as the leaders disappeared over the top and the medicine cats went around to the other side.

“I don’t think it matters who sees it,” Brambleclaw answered, but his eyes were clouded with worry.

“She didn’t say it had to be us,” Stormfur chipped in. “She just said ‘stand on the Great Rock.’”

“At least we have a chance to talk now,” Rowanclaw murmured. “Blackstar says he is ready to leave the forest.”

Squirrelpaw blinked. 

“Really? That’s great!” She wished her own homecoming had been so straightforward. “Firestar hasn’t decided yet.”

Rowanclaw flicked his ears. 

“To be honest, I think Blackstar had already decided to go, even before I came back with Midnight’s warning.”

“But what did he say when you told him? Did he believe you?” Squirrelpaw demanded.

The ginger warrior didn’t reply.

Brambleclaw leaned towards the Shadowclan warrior. 

“Did they give you a hard time?”

Rowanclaw shook his head. 

“They acted like I was a stranger. Tallpoppy’s kits were frightened of me.”

“It wasn’t easy for us either,” Squirrelpaw mewed. “It’s as if we’re not part of the Clan any more.”

“Of course we’re part of the Clan,” Brambleclaw reassured her. “It’ll just take a while for things to get back to normal.”

Stormfur snorted. 

“Nothing’s ever going to get back to normal!” he spat. “I’ve seen what the Twolegs have done to WindClan and ThunderClan territory, and I can imagine it’s the same in ShadowClan.” He glanced at Rowanclaw, and he nodded grimly. “Even though they haven’t reached RiverClan territory yet, everything’s changed,” Stormfur went on, lashing his tail. “Stonefur’s gone missing, and Hawkfrost is deputy now.”

“Stonefur’s missing?” Squirrelpaw gasped.

“Was she taken by Twolegs?” asked Brambleclaw. Stormfur looked puzzled. 

“Why would Twolegs take her?”

“They took Leafpaw!” Squirrelpaw told him. “And Alderpaw! We know what happened because Sorreltail was there, although she got away.”

“Gorseheart, my mentor, is missing too,” Crowpaw mewed, his gaze flicking from one cat to another.

“No ShadowClan cats have been taken, but I’d guess it’s only a matter of time,” Rowanclaw mewed. “And meanwhile the Twolegs have invaded so much of our territory that we’re starving. There’s hardly any prey left, and leaf-bare’s only just begun.”

Brambleclaw sat down carefully on the muddy ground.

“Whether it’s Midnight’s message or starvation that drives the Clans out, I don’t see any way we can stay in the forest.”

“But the Twolegs haven’t touched RiverClan territory,” Stormfur reminded him. “And Hawkfrost thinks they never will. He pretty much called me a traitor for being concerned about the other Clans, and he said I should never have gone on the journey.” His amber eyes glistened with sadness. “He said Feathertail would still be alive if I hadn’t let her get caught up in other Clans’ problems.”

“It wasn’t the journey that killed Feathertail. It was staying with the Tribe so long,” hissed Crowpaw.

Stormfur flinched and looked down at his paws.

“We had to help them!” Squirrelpaw stared at Crowpaw, puzzled. She had found him arrogant and impatient at the start of the journey, but he had become much easier to be around as they traveled, and by the end of their adventure she would have considered him one of her closest friends. Now he was as prickly as ever. Did their journey, the importance of the message they all had to take to their Clans, mean nothing to him?

“Crowpaw?” Brambleclaw meowed. “What did WindClan say when you told them?”

“They accepted Midnight’s words without question,” he muttered. “It’s our last hope of survival.” His voice was flat and dull, like stone. “I didn’t think the Clan could be suffering any more than when I left, but it is. There’s nothing left to eat on the moors at all. A bird if we’re lucky. Sometimes a mouse, just one to feed the whole Clan. WindClan kits have never gone hungry like this before.”

“So Tallstar wants to leave?”

Crowpaw lifted his eyes and met Brambleclaw’s gaze. 

“Oh, yes,” he agreed. “He wants the Clan to go as soon as we can. His greatest fear”—he broke off and swallowed—“his greatest fear is that we’re not strong enough to make it.”

“Oh, Crowpaw!” Squirrelpaw exclaimed, immediately forgiving his harsh words to Stormfur. “I’m so sorry.”

“We don’t need your pity,” growled the WindClan apprentice. “I will fight with all the strength I have to make sure my Clan survives.” He glared at her, his eyes cold.

Squirrelpaw felt a surge of anger rise in her belly. 

“What are you talking about? You’re acting as if you’re the only one who can save your Clan! Don’t you remember that we’re in this together? Or have you forgotten there were six of us on that journey?”

“Squirrelpaw!” Brambleclaw stopped her with a flick of his tail. “We mustn’t fight now.”

Squirrelpaw grumpily fell silent. Crowpaw looked away, but he flexed his claws, tearing at the cold earth.

Rowanclaw gazed up at the rock. There was no sign of their leaders. They were hidden behind the brow of the rock’s towering summit. 

“Everything would be easier if we knew where we were meant to be going,” he mewed. “Do you think the sign will come?”

“Perhaps we’re too late,” murmured Stormfur. “We were a long time in the mountains.” He glanced at Crowpaw. “Believe me, I wish we hadn’t stayed.”

“We all agreed at the time,” Brambleclaw reminded him. Crowpaw stared at his paws without saying anything.

There was a yowl from above them, and Firestar’s call rang around the hollow. 

“We should wait awhile longer!”

“Why? What’s the point?” growled Blackstar. His bony frame appeared, silhouetted against the stars, on the edge of the rock. “We have wasted our time coming here. There will be no sign tonight. And do we really need one to tell us that the forest is being destroyed? Just look around you!”

Squirrelpaw and the others backed away as the ShadowClan leader bounded down the rock and landed in the mud beside them. Leopardstar followed him.

“But it’s not even moonhigh!” Firestar protested, peering down from the top of the rock. Leopardstar looked up at him. 

“Even if StarClan does send a sign about leaving the forest, it’s no concern of RiverClan’s,” she meowed.

However frustrated she was by Leopardstar’s selfishness, Squirrelpaw could understand why she wasn’t as troubled as the other leaders. Her glossy coat proved that she and her Clanmates were as well fed as ever, and their sleep wasn’t disturbed by fear of monsters snarling and munching their way into the camp.

“Hunger will soon make her change her mind,” Crowpaw hissed.

“But surely you want to see what StarClan thinks we should do?” Firestar argued.

“It’s too cold to wait any longer,” meowed Blackstar. “My fur is thinner than I’d like these days—and that’s not a sign from StarClan. It’s the fault of those fox-hearted Twolegs stealing my Clan’s prey.”

“You can’t leave yet!” Firestar yowled as the ShadowClan leader clambered away over the logs.

“There’ll be no sign here tonight,” Blackstar called over his shoulder. “Look at this place! It’s ruined.”

“StarClan will not desert us!” Firestar leaped down from the rock and scrambled awkwardly over the logs to the ShadowClan leader.

Blackstar faced him, his pelt bristling. 

“I did not say StarClan had deserted us! But my Clan would rather rely on their leader’s judgment than on the muddled rumors of some inexperienced warriors and a badger.”

“Oh, come on!” a voice yowled. “How many times do I need to tell you?” a silver tabby, her coat dull and unkempt, crashed into the clearing. “The clans  _ will _ find a new home! Just wait and listen won’t you?”

“We are perfectly capable of finding a new home for our- selves.” There was a chilling certainty in Blackstar’s words.

“You have somewhere in mind already, don’t you?” Cinderpelt looked up from where she crouched beside Mudfur.

“We are going to live in Twolegplace where BloodClan used to rule,” he announced. “I still have one of their former warriors among my elders. He will show us the best places to find food and shelter. Now Brick is dead, we’ll be the strongest cats there.”

“You can’t do that!” Firestar protested. “That will leave only three Clans in the forest!”

“What he said!” the tabby, Needlepaw, Squirrelpaw remembered, meowed.

“Soon there won’t be a forest,” Blackstar pointed out grimly. “Only the bodies of dead cats. This is one battle in which I cannot see how it would help us to join with other Clans. It’s not a matter of fighting an enemy, but of finding enough prey to feed the mouths we already have. I’m sorry, but we go alone.” Needlepaw let out an irritated groan.

“Where’s Alderpaw?” she asked. “He’s better at explaining this kind of stuff than I am.” Squirrelpaw looked at her paws.

“He...he got caught by the Twolegs.” she meowed. “He and Leafpaw.” Needlepaw stared at her, green eyes wide.

“What about Sparkpaw?” she meowed quickly, slight panic in her eyes.

“She’s fine,” Squirrelpaw meowed. “As fine as a cat can be right now.” Needlepaw nodded, still looking worried.

“Maybe we should go back to the sun-drown-place and talk to Midnight again,” Brambleclaw suggested. “She could tell us what to do then.”

“You want us to go to a strange place just because you think StarClan sent you there?” Leopardstar snarled. “Since when do you make decisions for all the Clans?” Her gaze swept over Squirrelpaw, Rowanclaw, and Stormfur. “In fact, why should we trust any of you? You are all part ThunderClan!”

Rowanclan hissed and Blackstar looked affronted.

“Are you questioning my loyalty to my Clan?”

“My sister  _ died _ on the journey to fetch this message!” Stormfur hissed.

Squirrelpaw wondered if StarClan was watching them and thinking that these quarrelsome Clans didn’t  _ deserve _ to be saved.

“Stop!” rasped a feeble voice, and Tallstar padded unevenly over. “If we fight, the sign will never come!”

“How many times do I have to tell you? We don’t need a sign,” growled Blackstar. “ShadowClan is going to leave the forest, and we already know where to go.” Needlepaw looked like she wanted to slam her head against the ground.

Firestar didn’t argue with him. Instead, he turned to Leopardstar. 

“What do you plan to do?”

“RiverClan has no need to travel to some distant place on the word of a few dreaming warriors,” Leopardstar replied. “The river is still full of fish. It would be stupid for us to leave. The other Clans’ troubles are not ours to worry about.”

“But if our troubles are not yours as well, why was Feathertail sent by StarClan with the other cats?” Cinderpelt challenged quietly.

“Only Feathertail can answer that, and she is dead,” Leopardstar retorted.  **(HOW DARE YOU!)**

Hawkfrost climbed up beside his leader. 

“If you can’t survive in the forest anymore, then I agree that you should leave,” he meowed, his gaze flicking around the cats to include Tallstar. “After all, what sort of leader would let his Clan starve?”

Squirrelpaw was rather taken aback by the bold way he addressed the other Clan leaders. After all, he wasn’t much older than her.

Brambleclaw glared at Hawkfrost. 

“You just want us to leave so you can steal our territory!”

“If you aren’t here, then you won’t need it anymore.”

Brambleclaw bristled and glared at Hawkfrost. Squirrelpaw thought she saw Hawkfrost’s whiskers twitch with satisfaction and felt a surge of anger on Brambleclaw’s behalf. How dared he gloat?  _ That fox-hearted, no-good- _

“This is getting us nowhere,” Tallstar meowed fretfully.

“The four Clans must remain together,” Firestar insisted. “We have lived beneath Silverpelt for as long as any cat remembers. We share the same ancestors. How could StarClan watch over us if we are separated?” But Blackstar had jumped down from the tree trunk and was padding away, signaling to Littlecloud, the ShadowClan medicine cat, to join him.

Rowanclaw looked uneasily at his friends. 

“I have to go,” he whispered to Squirrelpaw.

“What about the sign?” Squirrelpaw reminded him. She shivered, and not just from the cold. Where was the sign that was supposed to save them?

Doubt flickered in the ShadowClan warrior’s gaze. 

“I’m sorry; I can’t wait.” he hurried after Blackstar and Littlecloud.

“Needlepaw,” Blackstar meowed. “Are you coming?” she shook her head, gazing at the ground through anxious eyes.

The hollow felt even emptier and more exposed without the three ShadowClan cats.

“Good luck, Firestar,” Leopardstar meowed. She looked over to where Mothwing was crouched beside Mudfur. “Is he well enough to travel?”

“Of course I am!” Mudfur rasped, struggling to his paws. “I made it here, didn’t I?”

“Then come,” Leopardstar ordered, and, turning away, she led her cats from the clearing. Stormfur brushed against Squirrelpaw’s pelt as he passed.

“I’ll try to speak to you and Brambleclaw soon,” he whispered.

“What can we do without the sign?” Squirrelpaw hissed frantically.

Stormfur flashed her a look of despair. 

“I don’t know,” he said. He gazed back at the Great Rock, dragged from its ancient seat. “Perhaps StarClan has no power here anymore.”

Squirrelpaw stared at him in horror. Could that be true?

Firestar watched the RiverClan cats leave. 

“I cannot persuade them.” He sighed.

“Then we two must go alone,” Tallstar wheezed. He sat down to catch his breath. “Firestar,” he croaked, “I must find new territory for my Clan before the next full moon. We are starving.” Squirrelpaw felt her heart twist with pity as he went on. “But we are too weak to make the journey alone. Travel with us, Firestar. Help us like you did when you brought WindClan back from exile, after Brokenstar drove us out.” Tallstar touched his nose to the Thunderclan leader’s head.

Firestar miserably twitched his ears. 

“We can’t leave without the other two Clans. There have always been four Clans in the forest, and wherever we end up, four Clans must be there as well. How else can we be sure the fifth Clan will come with us?”

_ The fifth Clan? _ Squirrelpaw wondered what her father meant. She glanced at Brambleclaw, but he looked as puzzled as she felt. Needlepaw’s eyes shot up for a moment before looking back at the ground.

“StarClan will be with us always,” Tallstar argued, and Squirrelpaw understood: StarClan were the fifth Clan. Tallstar sighed. “You are proud, Firestar,” he warned. “I can tell ThunderClan is on the brink of starvation just like WindClan. If you insist on staying in the forest while you wait for the other two to make up their minds, your Clanmates will die.”

Firestar looked away. 

“I’m sorry, Tallstar,” he meowed. “I want to help you, but my heart tells me that ThunderClan cannot leave until all the other Clans agree to leave as well. We will have to keep trying to persuade them.”

Tallstar thrashed his tail. “Very well,” he meowed. “We cannot travel without you, and so we will wait. I don’t blame you for the hunger we suffer, but I’m disappointed you will not help us now.” He padded away with Barkface close beside him, ready to support him if the WindClan leader stumbled on paws that hardly seemed strong enough to carry him to the edge of the clearing, let alone all the way back to the moor.

Squirrelpaw turned to Brambleclaw. 

“Why wasn’t there a sign?” she protested.

Brambleclaw gazed at her. 

“Do you think Midnight was wrong?” His wide eyes reflected the moon. “After all, did she really tell us anything we can’t see from what is happening around us?” He gestured with his tail to the ravaged clearing, to the swaths of fallen trees around them. “Every cat knows the forest is being destroyed by Twolegs. Perhaps Blackstar is right, and each Clan should just try to save itself, without waiting for any more signs.”

Squirrelpaw fought to control the panic that fluttered in her chest. 

“You can’t mean that! We have to believe that Midnight was right!” she argued. “StarClan sent us to speak with her, and that must mean StarClan wants us to save the Clans.”

“But what if we can’t?” Brambleclaw murmured.

Squirrelpaw stared at him in dismay, her mind suddenly filled with an image of falling trees, roaring monsters, and blood spilling down Sunningrocks into the river. 

“Don’t give up, Brambleclaw!” she whispered. “We didn’t make that journey and lose Feathertail for nothing. We have to save the Clans!” Needlepaw looked up from her paws.

“You are doing the right thing in waiting for the other clans.” she meowed. “The clans must learn to cooperate with each other. By doing that, we all become stronger.” he eyes darkened. “That is a time in the future when the clans  _ cannot  _ afford to be enemies. By doing so, our real enemy has already won half the battle.” Firestar stared at her, then he slowly nodded like he understood something.

“Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovewing told me about it. Not much, but enough to know that you are correct.” Needlepaw dipped her head.

Needlepaw had noticed a change in her. When she was back in her time, she - and the other apprentices - never listened to their mentors or anyone really. Now, there were some cats that she did listen to, respected even. Blackstar for one - when he wasn’t a mouse-brain - Russetfur was another, and she liked Tallpoppy too. In the other clans, she respected Stonefur, the deputy who had died the first time around, but now would probably be leader instead of Mistystar. Needlepaw also had a high regard for Windclan’s leader Tallstar. She didn’t know much about him, but the way he held himself and kept a level head was admirable. Then, there was Firestar. True, she had thrown insults around about the Thunderclan leader before, but she regretted that now. She knew what kind of cat he was, and he was one to respect.  _ Plus, _ Needlepaw reflected.  _ I don’t like offending Alderpaw or Sparkpaw, and they take great pride in being Firestar’s kin. _ Then she blinked.  _ Alderpaw! He was taken by the Twolegs! _ She jumped up.

“Are you anywhere close to finding Alderpaw?” she meowed. Cinderpelt shook her head.

“Sparkpaw lost his scent in a bramble bush. He and Leafpaw are nowhere to be found.” Needlepaw’s tail drooped, then she sighed.

“Okay,” she meowed. “I’d better get back. Tell Sparkpaw I said hi, and I hope to see her soon.” she snorted. “She’s the only one my age that gets me right now. Alderpaw was the other, but he’s….indisposed.” she waved her tail in farewell and left.

Squirrelpaw watched as Needlepaw left Fourtrees. The dark red apprentice felt compassion well up for the Shadowclan she-cat.  _ Needlepaw must be close to Alderpaw and Sparkpaw, _ she thought as her father gathered the Thunderclan cats together with a sweep of his tail.  _ She looked really cut up about Alderpaw being missing. Like I feel about Leafpaw. _ She sighed and unconsciously leaned against Brambleclaw, soaking the warmth from his fur into hers.  _ Starclan, please show us what to do now. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe...BrambleSquirrel at the end there.
> 
> Leopardstar: I don't care
> 
> Blackstar: We're good. I've got it planned.
> 
> Tallstar: FIRESTAR, YOU AND I MUST LEAVE! TOGETHER!!!
> 
> Firestar: WE ALL MUST LEAVE!!!
> 
> Needlepaw: *Has a morality crisis*


	7. Squirrelpaw Gets The Info For A Breakout (You Can Probably Guess Who Helped Inspire Her)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of AlderSpark sibling love in this one! Even more in the nest!

Squirrelpaw curled up beside Shrewpaw, Sparkpaw and Whitepaw a few tail-lengths away, and tried not to think about the warm, moss-lined den where the apprentices had slept before. At least the small gully they were lying in gave some shelter from the chilly night breeze. It felt strange to be sleeping apart from Brambleclaw after their long journey together, but at least Shrewpaw seemed happy to have her back. Her paws ached with tiredness, and she closed her eyes, folding her tail over her muzzle for comfort. At first she couldn’t stop thinking about the disastrous meeting at Fourtrees, but gradually dreams wove into her waking thoughts and drew her into sleep.

She was alone among the trees, and she could smell prey scent. A cold wind breathed through the forest. Squirrelpaw lifted her nose and tasted the air. A fat mouse was snuffling among the leaves. It was the plumpest piece of prey she had found since returning to the forest, and she swiped her tongue hungrily over her lips. Brambleclaw would be pleased to have a share of this fresh-kill.

Crouching, Squirrelpaw crept silently toward the unsuspecting creature. It had its head half-buried under an oak leaf and hadn’t noticed her. This was going to be an easy catch.

Suddenly, rapid pawsteps sounded behind her. Terrified, the mouse darted out from under the oak leaf and scuttled away beneath the roots of a tree. Squirrelpaw spun around, bristling with fury.

A tortoiseshell cat with gentle amber eyes was standing behind her. 

“Hello, Squirrelpaw,” she mewed. “I have something to show you.”

“You’ve just ruined the best catch I’m likely to get all day!” Squirrelpaw snapped back. She had never seen this cat before, though she carried the scent of ThunderClan. She stopped and put her head to one side. “Who are you, anyway?”  **(LOL <, smooth Squirrelpaw)**

“I’m Spottedleaf.”

Squirrelpaw blinked. She had heard all about the long dead ThunderClan medicine cat. Why would Spottedleaf come to her?

She stepped forward to touch the she-cat’s nose in greeting, but as she went closer, the image faded. Bewildered, Squirrelpaw stared into the trees. She pricked her ears, listening for movement, but heard nothing and turned to resume her hunt. The scent of prey that hung in the air was too tempting. Perhaps Spottedleaf had wanted only to greet her, nothing more.

Squirrelpaw prowled deeper into the woods, following a path that led toward Snakerocks. But as she crept through the undergrowth, the forest seemed to change, and she didn’t rec- ognize the trees around her. Surely she should have reached Snakerocks by now. Had she taken the wrong path? She quickened her pace until she was racing through trees she had never seen before.

A tiny voice in her mind reminded her that it was just a dream, and she wasn’t really lost. She blinked, trying to wake up. But when she opened her eyes, she was still trapped in the strange woods, and her alarm grew until her heart pounded like a woodpecker’s beak on bark. She ran on, hoping to find a landmark she recognized, but the forest grew darker and more silent, as if the trees themselves were watching her. There didn’t seem to be anything else alive in these woods— no sound of prey, no scent of her Clanmates or any other Clan.

“Spottedleaf!” she called. “Help me!”

There was no reply.

The trees grew more thickly here, and the shadows between the trunks swallowed her until she could hardly see where she was putting her paws.

“Don’t be frightened.”

The soft voice seemed to echo from every direction at once, and Squirrelpaw spun around, trying to find where it came from. There was a faint scent of ThunderClan, and then she saw Spottedleaf ’s pale pelt glowing among the trees like the distant moon in a mottled sky.

“I’m lost, Spottedleaf!” she called.

“No, you’re not,” Spottedleaf reassured her gently. “Follow me.”

Panting with relief, Squirrelpaw wound her way through the tree trunks. As she approached, the shadows seemed to draw away and the forest grew lighter, although there wasn’t any moon that she could see.

“Follow me,” Spottedleaf murmured. She turned and headed into the trees, running as confidently as if she were following an invisible path. Squirrelpaw pelted after her. Spottedleaf ran like the wind, but Squirrelpaw raced over the ground until she felt as though she were swooping through the trees like a bird. Exhilaration flooded her so that she hardly noticed the forest become familiar once more. Then she recognized the Great Sycamore, reaching high into the sky. And here were the Snakerocks, a tumbled heap of round, sandy boulders where snakes basked in greenleaf, but which offered good prey in colder weather. Spottedleaf leaped up to the top of the rocks, then down the other side and on through the forest. Squirrelpaw scrambled after her quickly.

They went until Squirrelpaw detected the tang of the Thunderpath. Suddenly, without warning, Spottedleaf stopped. Squirrelpaw skidded to a halt, nearly bumping into her, and followed the medicine cat’s gaze. Ahead of them, every single tree had been stripped away, and the forest floor was churned into mud right to the edge of the Thunderpath. Wooden Twoleg nests ringed the clearing, and monsters sat hunched and silent nearby.

“This way,” Spottedleaf mewed. She led Squirrelpaw across the slippery, rutted earth toward the nests.

“It’s so quiet,” Squirrelpaw whispered. Oddly, she felt soothed by the eerie quiet, and she followed Spottedleaf over the open ground without fear. Spottedleaf stopped beside one of the wooden nests, and Squirrelpaw looked up at it in surprise. 

“What is this place?” she mewed. “Why have you brought me here?” Spottedleaf twitched her gold-and-brown-striped tail.

“Look through the hole,” she urged. “Look at the cages.”  _ Cages? _ The word sounded strange to Squirrelpaw’s ears. She noticed a small gap in the wall, about a fox-length up. She stretched her forepaws up the side of the nest, her belly brushing the scratchy wood, and peered in. Rows of dens made of cold-looking shiny web were stacked along the walls.  _ Those must be the “cages.” _ Squirrelpaw could see a dark, soft-edged shape huddled in each cage. Cats!

Her heart raced as scents flooded her nose—RiverClan, WindClan, rogue. She stared breathlessly through the hole, and then she smelled the warm scent of ThunderClan. With a jolt of recognition she saw her sister curled up in one of the cages near the roof of the wooden nest.

“Leafpaw!” She gasped. She clawed herself upward, thrusting with her hind legs, trying to clamber through the hole.

“You can’t get in, Squirrelpaw.” Spottedleaf stood on her hind legs to reach up beside her. “This is only a dream,” she murmured. “But when you wake, Leafpaw will still be here.”

“Will I be able to rescue her?”

“I hope so,” Spottedleaf answered softly.

“But how?” Squirrelpaw yowled, jumping down to the ground.

“You will know when the time comes.” a low mew said. Squirrelpaw blinked, not recognizing the starry tom that had just slid from the trees. He was huge, with an orange pelt and big white paws. His amber gaze was sharp, and he carried himself with the confidence of a leader. Spottedleaf respectfully dipped her head, and Squirrelpaw hastily did the same. Whoever this was, he must be important. The tom looked into the den, and Squirrelpaw followed his gaze. Her heart leaped when she spotted Airleap, laying on his side, Cloudtail and Brightheart, curled up close to the edges of their cages, and-  _ Alderpaw! _ He was the only one awake, but he was gazing, eyes narrowed thoughtfully, at his paws. Thunderstar leaped up to the ledge and pawed at the window. Alderpaw’s head snapped up and his eyes widened. The dark red tom scrambled to his paws and his tail curled up as he spotted Squirrelpaw.

“Can he see me?” she asked.

“Yes,” Spottedleaf meowed. “He is, after all, a medicine cat. He will let your sister and the others know you are coming.” the big tom nodded.

“But, you must hurry. You don’t have much time.” Squirrelpaw nodded, opened her mouth to meow a thanks, then-

“Stop fidgeting, for StarClan’s sake!” Shrewpaw muttered.

Squirrelpaw’s eyes shot open. She was lying in the narrow cleft in Sunningrocks. The hollow was dark, and she could only just make out the soft shapes of sleeping cats around her. She sat up and stared over the lip of the gully. Outside, frost glittered on the smooth stone, and beyond that she saw the outlines of leafless trees, black and spiky against the sky.

“What’s the matter?” Shrewpaw asked sleepily.

“I know where Leafpaw is!” Squirrelpaw whispered. “And the others! I have to go and rescue them.”

Shrewpaw’s eyes blinked open. 

“How do you know?”

“Spottedleaf and a big orange tom told me in a dream!”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure!” Squirrelpaw snapped.

Shrewpaw twitched his ears. 

“You can’t just disappear without telling any cat where you’re going,” he warned. He didn’t add,  _ Again _ , but Squirrelpaw guessed that was what he was thinking.

“I could wake Firestar up,” she mewed. “Now I know where Leafpaw is, he could send out a rescue party.”

“Not in the middle of the night,” Shrewpaw pointed out. “It’s too cold. Besides, it was just a dream.”

“It was more than a dream,” Squirrelpaw insisted, and someone else meowed it at the same time as her. Sparkpaw was awake, green eyes wide and ears pricked. She was staring at Squirrelpaw, a plead in her eyes.

“You saw them? Alderpaw too?” At Squirrelpaw’s nod, Sparkpaw’s tail shot up and the orange tabby began purring.

“But you’re not a medicine cat,” Shrewpaw argued. “No cat’s going to go on a rescue mission in the middle of the night because you had a dream.” His amber eyes were gentle. “They might listen to you in the morning, though. Settle down and go back to sleep.” Sparkpaw paused.

“He’s got a point,” she meowed. “I know I wouldn’t appreciate being woken up in the dead of night because someone had a dream - even if it was from Starclan.”

Squirrelpaw sighed, but she knew they were right. She slumped back down again, still seeing the wooden nest filled with cages.

Shrewpaw lay down beside her and rested his tail comfortingly on her flank. 

“We’ll find her in the morning,” he promised, closing his eyes. “Both of them.”

His breathing slowed as he drifted into sleep, but Squirrelpaw stayed awake, gazing up at the narrow strip of Silverpelt she could see through the mouth of the gully. A cat from StarClan had visited her to tell her where Leafpaw was!

She knew Spottedleaf had had a special bond with her father when he first came to the forest. Could it be that she wanted to help Firestar’s daughters because she still loved him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spottedleaf: *Ruins Squirrelpaw's catch*
> 
> Squirrelpaw: WTF GURL, MY HUBBY AND I WERE GONNA EAT THAT!
> 
> Thunderstar: *Inspires every breakout in existence* *#It's what he does*


	8. Thunderstar’s Breakout Inspiration Has Worked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, last one for this week! Hope you all have a nice weekend, and see you Monday!

Sparkpaw turned to see Brambleclaw padding up the slope with a vole in his jaws. He carried it over to where Ferncloud lay in the sunshine watching her kits play. She accepted Brambleclaw’s offering with only a blink of her leaf-colored eyes, as if she didn’t have the strength to thank him. Sparkpaw noticed with a prick of concern how small Ferncloud’s kits were. They looked hardly old enough to leave the nursery, let alone journey all the way to the lake. By leaf-bare, kits were usually strong and healthy, ready to face the cruelest season. If Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw succeeded in persuading the Clan to leave the forest, how many cats would never see their new home?

She shook her head. Right now, she didn’t want to go anywhere without rescuing Alderpaw. And the others. Primarily Alderpaw.  **(Hey, you can’t blame her. She’s a worried sis)**

“Brambleclaw!” Squirrelpaw bounded down the slope toward him. “I know where Leafpaw is! StarClan came to me in a dream! The Twolegs have trapped her in a little nest, past Snakerocks. We have to go and rescue her.”

Brambleclaw pricked his ears. 

“Really?” He scanned Sunningrocks. “Have you told Firestar? Is he organizing a rescue party?”

Squirrelpaw shook her head. 

“He’s on patrol. But if you came with me, we could rescue her together.”

Brambleclaw blinked. 

“Are you mad? Rescue her from a Twoleg nest? We wouldn’t stand a chance on our own.”

“But StarClan wants us to rescue her now!” she argued. “A big orange tom told me we don’t have much time! Leafpaw must be in more danger than ever.” Sparkpaw stood up and trotted over.

“You know, Graystripe should be getting back with a patrol soon. We could catch up to him and ask if he could come.” Squirrelpaw pricked her ears.

“How about that?” she meowed. Brambleclaw paused, then nodded. “Let’s go!” Squirrelpaw took off, then skidded to a halt. “Um, where did Graystripe go?” Sparkpaw purred, amused.

“This way!” she took off into the woods, Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw following.

“Hey! Hey!” Sorreltail’s voice made them stop. “I heard what you were saying!” she panted. “If StarClan has told you where Leafpaw and Alderpaw are, they must want us to rescue her as soon as possible!”

“They do!” Squirrelapw meowed. “A big orange tom told me that we don’t have much time!”

“I want to help,” Sorrelpaw meowed. “I couldn’t stop the Twolegs from taking Leafpaw and Alderpaw, but I’d do anything to help them now.”

“Do you mean it?” Squirrelpaw asked.

“Of course!”

“Come on, then!” she yowled. “Let’s go!”

Sparkpaw pelted into the forest, the three Thunderclan cats hard on her paws.

“Graystripe went this way!” she called. “Look! There he is!”

“Graystripe!” Sorreltail yowled.

“What in StarClan’s name is going on?” Graystripe’s deep meow echoed off the rocks as he emerged from the bracken with Thornclaw and Rainwhisker close behind him. The ThunderClan deputy stared at the two trembling cats. “What’s wrong with you? You look like you’ve just seen Tigerstar’s ghost!” Sparkpaw faintly winced at that.

“It’s Leafpaw!” Squirrelpaw cried. “We know where she and the others are! But if we don’t act now, they will be gone!”

Graystripe narrowed his eyes.

“We can’t let the Twolegs take our cats if there is anything we can do to stop them,” growled Rainwhisker.

“We should not give up without a fight,” Thornclaw agreed. Their meaning was clear. This was still their forest. They may not have been able to protect it against all the Twolegs and their monsters, but this was one battle they could take on.

Graystripe narrowed his amber eyes at Squirrelpaw. 

“Very well,” he meowed. “Show us where she is.”

“This way,” she panted. She leaped back over Snakerocks, Sorreltail close behind. Graystripe, Thornclaw, Rainwhisker, and Brambleclaw followed. Hearing their pawsteps, Squirrelpaw felt a surge of confidence. With five ThunderClan warriors at her side, she must be able to rescue her sister!

When they reached the bramble thicket at the edge of the trees, Graystripe hissed for the cats to stop. 

“Stay low!” he commanded.

The small monster was still waiting outside the wooden nest, and the Twoleg was carrying out more cages to stow in its belly. “Leafpaw’s already inside,” she whispered.

“Hello.” someone meowed.

“Great Starclan!” Sparkpaw meowed. “Dovewing, don’t sneak up on us like that.”

“Sorry,” the gray she-cat meowed. “I heard what was going on, and I’ll like to help.”

“Right,” muttered Graystripe. “To business. Thornclaw, you and I will attack the Twoleg. We’ve got to keep him distracted while Dovewing, Sorreltail, Brambleclaw, and Rainwhisker let the other cats out.”

“What about me?” Squirrelpaw asked.

“And me?” Sparkpaw echoed.

“You stay here as lookouts,” Graystripe ordered curtly. “Tell us if more Twolegs come.”

Squirrelpaw stared at him in shock. 

“But—” she began, but Graystripe ignored her.

“Most of them must be in the monster by now,” he went on. “Brambleclaw and Sorreltail, I want you to climb inside and start getting the cats out. Rainwhisker and Dovewing, you go into the nest and help any that are left.”

Squirrelpaw glared at Graystripe. 

“I’m getting my sister out of that monster!” Sparkpaw was staring into the den, frantically trying to find her brother’s dark red coat.

The gray deputy stared back at Squirrelpaw for a long moment, and. 

“Very well,” Graystripe agreed at last. “But if anything goes wrong, get back to the trees as fast as you can.” He glanced at Sparkpaw. “You too.” Sparkpaw nodded vaguely, still looking for her brother.

“Right,” Graystripe meowed, turning back to watch the monster. “The Twoleg is going to fetch another. We’ll be ready to take it by surprise when it comes out.”

He dashed from the trees, keeping low as he raced over the mud. Thornclaw, Dovewing, Sorreltail, Rainwhisker, and Brambleclaw ducked out from under the brambles and ran across the churned earth behind him. Squirrelpaw and Sparkpaw scrambled after them, feeling the mud suck at their paws and cling to the fur on their bellies.

A few tail-lengths from the open door, Graystripe hissed,

“Wait!” and the cats halted in the sticky mud.

The Twoleg stepped out of the wooden nest. It was carrying another cage and did not see the eight cats waiting in ambush.

“Now!” Graystripe screeched, and he leaped at the Twoleg. When he sank his claws into its hind leg, the Twoleg dropped the cage. The cage cracked open with a sound like a splintering branch. Squirrelpaw stared in astonishment as she recognized the gray pelt inside. It was Stonefur! The RiverClan warrior leaped out and hurled himself at the Twoleg’s other leg, hissing in rage. Thornclaw joined the attack, gripping the Twoleg as though he were clawing his way up a tree. The Twoleg bellowed in agony and hopped around with a cat clinging to each leg.

“Come on, Squirrelpaw!” Brambleclaw yowled. He jumped into the open belly of the monster, Sorreltail close behind him. Sparkpaw took off into the den, Rainwhisker on her heels. She crashed into the den and frantically looked around, head swinging.

“Alderpaw!” she screeched.

“Sparkpaw! Over here!” the orange tabby snapped her head up. There, sitting in a cage, was her brother. Alderpaw was pressed up against the silver stuff, pawing at a latch. She sprang up and batted at it, knocking it lose. Alderpaw pushed the cage open and Sparkpaw nuzzled her brother, tail curling up in happiness.

“I was so worried!” she meowed. Alderpaw licked her ear.

“We don’t have much time!” he meowed urgently. “Hurry!” the two siblings leapt down and began opening up cages, freeing the cats inside.

“Cloudtail!” Sparkpaw meowed. “Don’t worry, I’ll get you out.” she tugged the latch with her teeth and the cage opened. Cloudtail streaked past and headed straight for Brightheart.

“Brightheart! I’m coming!” Rainwhisker joined him at Brightheart’s cage and both were frantically scraping at it.

“We can’t open it!” Cloudtail yowled, his voice rising in panic.

“Try your teeth,” called Squirrelpaw as she dashed in.

Cloudtail bit down hard, and Sparkpaw saw him tremble with effort as he pulled, but still it would not open. Twoleg voices sounded outside, and Graystripe raced into the nest.

“There are too many Twolegs!” he yowled. “We have to get out of here!” He pushed Squirrelpaw toward the doorway. “Get back to the trees!” Sparkpaw lunged for Airleap’s cage and opened it with help from Alderpaw. The dark brown tabby leaped out and dropped beside Graystripe.

“But Brightheart is still trapped!” Cloudtail called.

“I’ll take care of her!” Graystripe promised, pushing Squirrelpaw with his nose. “Just get out of here!” He gestured for Airleap to take Squirrelpaw out, and the tabby tom obeyed.

Graystripe leaped over to where Rainwhisker and Cloudtail were still tugging at Brightheart’s catch and shoved them out of the way. 

“Get to the trees!” he spat. “Now!”

Cloudtail didn’t move, but stood stiff-legged, staring in horror at Brightheart’s cage. Her panic-stricken face was pressed against the mesh.

“Come on!” Rainwhisker hissed at him and bundled the white warrior toward the door. Sparkpaw and Alderpaw exchanged one last look before harring out after them.Sparkpaw glanced over her shoulder at Graystripe as he grabbed the stiff catch in his powerful jaws, then followed the others out of the nest.

As she emerged a Twoleg lunged for her, but she spun around and bolted along the side of the nest. There were Twolegs everywhere, howling in rage. She spotted Cloudtail and Rainwhisker making for the trees and pelted after them, thrusting her way into the tangle of brambles. Rainwhisker kept running into the forest, but Cloudtail skidded to a halt and turned back to watch what was happening outside the nest. Squirrelpaw crouched beside him, peering across the clearing. Leafpaw and a tabby she-cat were running toward them.

“Hurry!” she screeched. A Twoleg was gaining on them, his huge paws taking giant strides across the mud. As Sparkpaw watched, still running with Alderpaw at her side, she willed the cats to outrun the Twoleg, and the white-and-ginger pelt of Brightheart caught her eye in the doorway of the nest. Graystripe had opened her cage!

The ThunderClan she-cat hurtled toward the trees. She brushed past the Twoleg that was chasing Leafpaw, unbalancing him in the slippery mud so that he fell over with a roar. Leafpaw and the tabby reached the safety of the bushes and scrambled in among the thorns.

“I can’t believe you saved us!” panted the tabby.

Squirrelpaw was already rubbing her nose along Leafpaw’s cheek.

“I’m sorry we were nearly too late,” she whispered.

“I thought I’d never see you again!” Leafpaw was panting hard. “Where’s Brambleclaw?”

Squirrelpaw felt a jolt of alarm and scented the air. She smelled the fresh fear scent of Thornclaw and Sorreltail. Then she recognized a clump of dark tabby fur snagged on a bramble thorn, the blood still wet where it had been torn from his pelt. She trembled with relief. If Brambleclaw had gotten this far, he must have escaped.

“He’s okay,” she mewed. “Did Stonefur get out?”

“Once the last cat was free he started heading for the trees,” Leafpaw told her.

“Then everyone escaped!” Squirrelpaw breathed in relief.

As she spoke, Brightheart crashed into the brambles, her eyes huge with terror. 

“Graystripe!” she gasped.

“Where is he?” Alderpaw demanded.

Cloudtail nearly bowled Brightheart over as he leaped toward her. 

“I shouldn’t have left you!” he cried, licking her all over.

“Where’s Graystripe?” Squirrelpaw echoed Alderpaw’s question.

“Twolegs!” panted Brightheart, pulling away from Cloudtail.

“What do you mean?”

“One of them grabbed him!”

They peered out from the undergrowth. A Twoleg was closing the belly of the monster. Hissing and spitting at the other Twolegs, who were staring wildly around the clearing, it climbed into the front. The monster roared into life and, spraying mud from beneath each of its fat black paws, began to pull away. Then Sparkpaw saw something that made her stomach flip over. A lone face peered from inside the monster, a face she had known since she was a kit. Granted, it was younger, but it was the same face that told her all the classical nursery tale in great detail. It gazed desperately at the trees as the monster picked up speed and raced away.

“Graystripe!” Squirrelpaw gasped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alderpaw & Sparkpaw: *Joyful reunion*
> 
> Leafpaw & Squirrelpaw: *Full of happiness*
> 
> Graystripe, while being grabbed by Twolegs: TELL MY STORYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1


	9. Jayfeather Goes Into Mother Hen Mode

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I'm back, but for only two days. On Wednesday to January 4th, I won't be updating. Christmas break and all, ya know. I have lots to post right now, so enjoy!
> 
> Be Prepared, to be SPAMMED!

The cats scrambled down Snakerocks. The Twolegs were far behind now, and Alderpaw slowed his pace. Sparkpaw fell in beside him as they padded breathlessly into the leaf-strewn glade beside the Great Sycamore. The other cats were sprawled on the ground, exhausted. Cloudtail was licking Brightheart’s ears as if he would never get them clean. Stonefur watched them, his gray flanks heaving. Airleap was sprawled on the grass, paws stretched out.

Cody looked nervously around the clearing. 

“Is it safe here?”

“The Twolegs won’t catch us now,” Leafpaw assured her.

“But what about foxes and badgers?” Cody’s eyes were huge. “Aren’t the woods full of all kinds of dreadful things?”

“Like wildcats?” Leafpaw joked weakly. She collapsed onto the soft leaves next to the other ThunderClan cats. Rainwhisker struggled to sit up. His dark gray fur stood on end, and there was blood oozing between the claws on one of his front paws. 

“Are you sure they got Graystripe?”

Squirrelpaw flattened her ears. 

“The monster carried him away. I saw him!”

“But he was fighting like a TigerClan cat!” Thornclaw protested. “They couldn’t have caught him!”

“There were too many Twolegs,” Squirrelpaw explained.

Stonefur dipped his head toward Squirrelpaw. 

“I owe him my life,” he murmured. “I thought we would never escape.” he stared intently at her. “You saved us.”

Squirrelpaw sat up. 

“It wasn’t just me,” she insisted. “We all risked our lives. Sparkpaw helped Brambleclaw, Sorreltail, and I find Graystripe, and he led the way.”

That was the reply of a warrior, not an apprentice.

“What will the Twolegs do to him?” Sorreltail wailed, grief-stricken. Alderpaw and Sparkpaw exchanged quick looks. Should they tell them that Graystripe will come back> Or should they wait?

“May StarClan help him,” murmured Thornclaw.

“StarClan is helpless against the Twolegs,” Squirrelpaw spat.

“StarClan was with us today,” Leafpaw reminded her. “They gave you the strength to face the Twolegs. They will look after Graystripe.”

Sorreltail hauled herself to her paws and touched Leafpaw’s muzzle with hers. 

“Thank StarClan the Twolegs didn’t take you as well,” she murmured. “Squirrelpaw saw you in a dream, trapped in that place. She insisted we rescue you.” Squirrelpaw then glanced at Alderpaw.

“I also saw you, and you seemed to recognize the big orange tom that was with Spottedleaf. Do you know who he is?” her green eyes were curious. Alderpaw self-consciously ran a paw over his ears as Sparkpaw pressed against his side.

“I do.” he began. “He came to me at the Moonstone. He’s Thunderstar.” Thornclaw sputtered as Stonefur’s head snapped over to the dark red tom.

“Thunderstar?” the Riverclan deputy inquired. “The first leader of Thunderclan?” Alderpaw nodded. Squirrelpaw was staring, huge-eyed, as she realized she spoke to the ancient leader. Alderpaw was shifting uncomfortably from everyone’s attention being on him, and Leafpaw, seeing this, quietly meowed;

“It wasn’t just me you saved,” pressing against Squirrelpaw, and looking gratefully at her Clanmates. That was effective in taking the attention off of the red tom. Alderpaw relaxed and Sparkpaw began washing her brother’s ears.

“You saved all of us,” Cody agreed, padding over to Leafpaw’s side. Sorreltail pulled away from Leafpaw and looked sharply at the kittypet. 

“Who are you?” she demanded. “You’re not a forest cat, but you don’t look like a rogue, either.”

“This is Cody,” Leafpaw meowed. “She stopped me from feeling sorry for myself, and made me believe we might be able to escape.”

Sorreltail sniffed. 

“You’re a kittypet?”

Rainwhisker sat up and stared at the tabby she-cat. Thornclaw flattened his ears.

“Yes, I’m a kittypet,” Cody confirmed.

Brambleclaw got to his paws and padded over to Cody.

Alderpaw saw the tabby try not to flinch away from the broad-shouldered warrior, whose coat was streaked with mud and blood. His father was quite an intimidating cat, but he didn’t always mean to appear that way.

“Do you want us to show you the way back to Twolegplace?” he offered.

“It’s not safe enough to go that way yet,” Leafpaw warned. “The Twolegs might be searching the woods.”

Brightheart sat up and stared nervously around the glade.

“It’s okay,” Cloudtail reassured her. “We can outrun them from here.”

“We’ll be even safer back at the camp,” mewed Squirrelpaw. “Why doesn’t Cody come with us for now?”

The kittypet stared uncertainly at the cats. For all her courage when they were trapped, she was obviously feeling daunted by being around so many of the wildcats she had heard about in bloodthirsty stories.

“You’ll be made welcome,” Leafpaw meowed. She looked at Brambleclaw and Rainwhisker, hoping she was right.

“Firestar won’t turn away a cat who’s in trouble,” Brambleclaw agreed.

“Won’t your Twolegs be missing you?” Sorreltail asked pointedly, and Leafpaw glanced at her in surprise.

“Yes, of course.” Cody kneaded the ground with her paws. Some of the fire returned to her blue eyes. “But it sounds as if it wouldn’t be safe for me to travel through that part of the forest alone, and I don’t want to put any more of you in danger.”

“We’ll get you home as soon as it’s safe,” Leafpaw promised.

“I suppose we should be going then.” Sorreltail sighed. She looked at Brambleclaw. “What are we going to tell Firestar about Graystripe?”

The cats fell into a miserable silence as they trekked though the forest. Alderpaw noticed that Thornclaw seemed to be leading them toward Sunningrocks rather than the ravine. Why weren’t they going to the camp? He glanced at Sparkpaw, puzzled.

“The Clan had to abandon the old camp,” his sister explained. “The Twolegs were getting too close.”

Leafpaw gulped. 

“Has it gotten that bad?”

“I’m afraid so,” Thornclaw answered grimly.

“Surely there’s not enough shelter for all of us at Sunningrocks?” Cloudtail meowed.

“How are the kits?” Brightheart asked anxiously.

“Not as well fed as they should be,” Squirrelpaw admitted.

“We should leave before they get any weaker,” Brambleclaw muttered.

Thornclaw flashed him a sharp glance.

“Are we nearly there?” Cody called from behind.

Alderpaw could hear the murmuring of the river through the leafless trees. They were nearing the RiverClan border, and Sunningrocks was not far ahead. 

“Yes, it’s not far now,” he called back.

Thornclaw padded onward, and Alderpaw followed with the others through a swath of bracken. They emerged at the top of the slope that led down to the RiverClan border. Stonefur padded down to the river. At the water’s edge he stopped and called back to the ThunderClan cats, 

“I honor the warriors of ThunderClan for rescuing me. And I mourn the loss of Graystripe with you.” His blue eyes clouded for a moment; then he turned and pushed through the swirling water with powerfully churning paws till he reached the other side.

The ThunderClan cats headed for Sunningrocks, and as they approached, Alderpaw spotted Firestar sitting near the top of the broad gray slope. The sun lit up his fiery pelt, picking out his bony frame. He looked thin and tired, and his eyes were half-closed. 

The breeze must have carried their scent, for Firestar suddenly turned and stared down the rock. He jumped to his paws and raced down to them with his tail held high. 

“Leafpaw,” he panted, sliding to a halt. “You’re safe!” He licked her ears, and a purr throbbed in his throat.

“I missed you so much,” Leafpaw mewed, pushing her face into the familiar warmth of his pelt. Sparkpaw pressed against her brother once more, letting her head rest on his shoulder.

“Thank StarClan I have both of you back.” Firestar’s mew was thick with emotion.

Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw waited at the bottom of the slope with the other ThunderClan warriors, while Cody hung back among the trees.

Cloudtail and Brightheart shot past them onto Sunningrocks, calling for their kit. 

“Whitepaw!” Cloudtail called. “We’re back!”

The snowy-pelted apprentice was dozing in a sheltered dip in the rock, beside Dovewing who was sitting up, ears pricked, likely hearing them coming with her powers. At the sound of voices, Whitepaw raised her head and leaped to her paws. 

“You escaped!” she cried, hurtling down the slope to greet her mother and father. She skidded into them, purring with delight. Cloudtail wrapped his tail around her, while Brightheart licked her so fiercely that Whitepaw ducked out of the way with a muffled squeak.

Sandstorm came racing out from an overhang at the side of Sunningrocks. She bounded down the slope and nudged Firestar out of the way. 

“Leafpaw! Did they hurt you?”

“No,” Leafpaw answered as Sandstorm enthusiastically began to lick away the stench of the Twoleg nest from her daughter’s pelt. “I’m fine, honestly.”

“Cloudtail!” a voice called. Creekflower came bounding down the rocks and practically threw herself at her son, licking him all over his face. Her littermates, Lightningfur and Copperleaf, crashed into Airleap, meowing a welcome. Icefoot and Shadecloud, along with Stonebrook, were a little slower but they greeted their half-sibling with warmth. Alderpaw glanced around Sunningrocks, and nearly jumped when;

“Alderpaw!” Jayfeather was standing stock still, eyes wide. The gray tabby then darted over and began sniffing his apprentice, rapidly checking for any injuries. Alderpaw ducked his head.

“I’m fine, Jayfeather!” he meowed, but his mentor paid him no mind.

“You are coming with me to the medicine den, no protests!” the gray tom meowed. He began pushing Alderpaw with his head. “You are getting a through check-up-”  
“But-”

“No buts!”

Sparkpaw was rolling around on the ground, laughing her head off. Lionblaze and Cinderheart were nearby, barely preventing themselves from doing the same.

“How did you escape?” Firestar demanded after Sparkpaw got her breath back.

“Squirrelpaw rescued us.” Leafpaw delightedly fought to keep her balance against her mother’s eager grooming.

“I had a dream last night.” Squirrelpaw stepped forward. “Spottedleaf told me where Leafpaw was trapped.” Squirrelpaw was still coming to terms with meeting Thunderstar.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Firestar stared in amazement at his daughter.

“You were away on patrol,” Squirrelpaw explained. “It couldn’t wait. So Brambleclaw, Sorreltail, Sparkpaw, and I found Leafpaw and Alderpaw by ourselves—”

“And there wasn’t time to come all the way back to camp for help,” Sorreltail broke in. “The Twolegs were already starting to take all the cats they’d caught away from the forest.”

“We couldn’t rescue them by ourselves,” Squirrelpaw chipped in. “But we found Graystripe and Dovewing near Snakerocks.”

“And Thornclaw and Rainwhisker,” added Brambleclaw. “But it was Graystripe who led the rescue. He assessed the danger and decided it was worth trying to save all the cats the Twolegs had trapped.”

“Graystripe,” Firestar murmured. “I might have known he’d try something foolish.” He looked around for his old friend. “Where is he?”

Firestar looked at Leafpaw with his head to one side as everyone got quiet. Sparkpaw glanced at the future warriors, eyes asking a question. 

“Why didn’t he come back with you?” Firestar asked. He then seemed to read Leafpaw’s expression, and his face suddenly seemed to be cast in shadow. 

“The Twolegs caught him,” Leafpaw forced herself to say, the words dropping like stones in the cold air.

“They trapped him inside a monster and took him away,” Squirrelpaw explained hoarsely.

“Graystripe’s gone?” Firestar whispered. He sat down, drawing his tail around him. 

“W-we should have gotten a bigger patrol together before we attacked,” Brambleclaw stammered, staring grief-stricken at his leader. “I should have stopped him. I’m sorry.”

Firestar stared at the dark brown tom in front of him, closed his eyes for a bit, then opened them and rested his tail on Brambleclaw’s shoulder.

“You have brought back my daughter, and Cloudtail, Brightheart, and Airleap.” he meowed. “Graystripe will find his way back to us.”

“But they trapped him in a monster,” Rainwhisker murmured.

Firestar stared at the gray warrior, hollow-eyed. 

“He will return,” he repeated. “I have to believe that or everything will be lost.” Sparkpaw then made up her mind. As Sandstorm moved closer to Firestar and pressed her cheek against his shoulder, Firestar just turned away and walked slowly toward the shadowy overhang. Suddenly he looked old beyond his years, but Sparkpaw stood up and slowly began making her way toward him.

Sandstorm padded after him. 

“We have both our daughters back.” Her voice drifted over the rock. “That is a miracle we never thought would happen.”

Firestar gazed at her. 

“Graystripe would have sacrificed himself for them in an instant,” he admitted.

“That is why he will always be a good friend,” Sandstorm murmured. She sat beside Firestar and curled her tail around him. Sparkpaw pawed at the ground and then meowed;

“I can tell you that Graystripe will come back,” Firestar and Sandstorm lifted up their heads. Sparkpaw took a breath. “But not for a  _ very _ long time. Thunderclan might need a new deputy, at least until he does come back.” Firestar gazed at his granddaughter, and slowly shook his head.

“I can’t appoint a new deputy. Not yet at least. Besides,” he added. “I know which warrior I will pick, but I know it’s not the time.” Sparkpaw nodded, understanding that someone - her brother most likely - had told Firestar of the circumstances around Bramblestar’s deputy ceremony. The orange tabby gently nuzzled her grandparents and made her way over to where Jayfeather was still fussing over Alderpaw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alderpaw: *Gets a scratch*
> 
> Jayfeather, appearing from nowhere: OH MY ME-OH NO-OI! ALDERPAW, ARE YOU OKAY?!?!?!!?
> 
> Alderpaw: Jay-
> 
> Jayfeather, screaming at the offending stick: HOE DON'T DO IT! DoN'T dO iT!!!!!


	10. Whitestorm, The Blanket

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get some Whitestorm in this one!
> 
> AND I SAVE ANOTHER ONE!

A panicked yowl echoed around the rocky cleft, jolting Leafpaw awake. For a moment she thought she was back in the cage, and that her terrifying escape had been nothing but a dream. Then she smelled the scent of the forest and the river on the icy breeze, and remembered she was at Sunningrocks, in the new ThunderClan camp. She blinked open her eyes and looked over the edge of the hollow, her breath billowing like smoke in the freezing air.

“What is it?” Cody whispered. The kittypet had slept beside her in the apprentices’ gully last night. Leafpaw felt her soft fur bristling against her flank.

“It sounded like Ferncloud,” she mewed. “But I can only see Dustpelt from here.”

The striped warrior stood on the frost-covered slope, silhouetted by the early morning light. Leafpaw could make out Cinderpelt beside him, and she scrambled out, struggling to get a grip on the icy stone, and raced to Ferncloud’s side. 

“What’s happened?”

“Larchkit is freezing!” Ferncloud whispered. “She won’t wake up.” She tucked her remaining kit close to her belly. “I woke and she was cold. So cold!” Her voice cracked with horror. “I licked her and licked her but she won’t wake up.” Jayfeather and Alderpaw joined them as Cinderpelt began vigorously licking the dark brown tabby kit, whose breath was slowing down. Jayfeather gave the she-kit a sniff and quickly whispered something to Alderpaw. The red tom nodded and darted out. Jayfeather joined Cinderpelt, who stopped licking for a moment, and the two medicine cats began rubbing the kit with their paws, determined to keep the kit alive. Alderpaw came back with Whitestorm, and the formerly sleek, well-built tom, now with a isheapen pelt, but still a powerful figure, pressed close to Larchkit and breathed some warm air onto her.

“That’s it,” Cinderpelt meowed, slowing up her rubbing. “Get her warm.” she glanced at Jayfeather and gave her a nod. “Good thinking on getting Whitestorm to warm her up.” Jayfeather acknowledged her words with an ear flick, still intently focused on warming up Larchkit. Ferncloud was staring at her kit, eyes fearful and hopeful at the same time.

Slowly, Larchkit’s ear twitched, then her breathing became deeper. Her paw move up as if she was batting at a butterfly, then her eyes opened. She blinked her amber eyes, gazing curiously around. She met her mother’s pale green gaze and meowed;

“Hi mama.” Ferncloud let out a chocked cry of relief and began nuzzling her daughter. Birchkit came up to his sister and poked her in the stomach.

“Silly!” he meowed. “You wouldn’t wake up. Were you just tired?” Larchkit squeaked and playfully narrowed her eyes.

“I guess so,” she meowed before jumping on her brother. He squealed and they tumbled around. Ferncloud was purring like never before, and Dustpelt was curled around her, eyes alight as he watched his children roll around like Larchkit hadn’t been an inch from death. Leafpaw had her ears pricked, and she happily watched her clanmates talk excitedly, the first piece of good news they had seen in moons.

As Leafpaw settled down into the dip Ferncloud was in, Birchkit and Larchkit were both huddled beside their mother, playfully pawing at each other. To Leafpaw’s surprise, Cody was there too.

“Shouldn’t you be outside?” Leafpaw gently prompted Cody.

“I thought I might be able to help,” came the reply. “I had a litter once, and I know that Ferncloud might need some rest.” Ferncloud was watching her kits through half-closed eyes, then she lifted her head, eyes clouded.

“If the medicine cats hadn’t caught Larchkit’s coldness in time, she would be dead.” she whispered. Her eyes became haunted. “I would rather had died instead of her.”

Firestar’s deep mew sounded from the rim of the hollow.

“Then there would be no cat left to look after Birchkit.” Leafpaw looked up. Cody flattened her ears. She had not met the ThunderClan leader yet.

“Ferncloud, Larchkit survived,” Firestar went on.

“We will make sure she and Birchkit survive, but it does us no good to dwell on the ‘what-if’s.”

Ferncloud stared up at him. “They  _ must _ survive,” she hissed.

Cinderpelt placed a poppy seed on the ground beside her.

“Here,” she mewed. “Eat this; it will help soothe your pain.” Ferncloud looked uncertainly at the seed. Cody stretched forward and sniffed the black speck. 

“Eat it,” she advised, pushing it nearer to Ferncloud with her paw. “You need to save all your strength for your kits.”

Firestar watched her curiously. 

“Sandstorm told me Leafpaw had brought a kittypet back with her. Is that you?”

“Yes. I’m Cody. Come, Ferncloud, eat the poppy seed.”

“You can see that the Clan cannot offer you much as a place of safety,” Firestar apologized. “But it’s even more dangerous for you to travel alone. When I have a free warrior, you’ll be escorted home. Until then, you can stay with us.”

“Thank you,” Cody murmured.

Firestar’s gazed flicked back to Ferncloud. 

“Will she be all right?”

“She just needs rest,” Cinderpelt told him. “Almost losing Larchkit really shocked her.

“And Birchkit?”

“He always was the strongest of the three.” Cinderpelt bent down to lick the small scrap of fur that had begun to knead his mother’s belly in search of milk, Larchkit was asleep, tired from her rambunctious play with her brother.

“Do your best.” Firestar turned and padded away.

Cody’s shoulders drooped. 

“It’s hard to believe your father was ever a kittypet,” she muttered to Leafpaw.

“I never really think about it,” she admitted. “It’s not as if I knew him back then. I was born after he became leader.” She looked at Cody. “Will you be all right, staying here?”

“Of course.” Cody sounded surprised that Leafpaw should have any doubts. Sweeping her tail gently along Leafpaw’s flank, she turned and crouched down beside Ferncloud. “You two go,” she meowed to Leafpaw and Cinderpelt. “You have many cats to look after. There is little I can do for the rest of the Clan, but at least I can take care of Ferncloud.”

Cinderpelt looked uncertainly at the kittypet, but Cody reassured her. “I’ll make sure she eats the seed,” she promised. “And while she sleeps I can look after Birchkit and Larchkit.” 

“Very well,” Cinderpelt agreed. “But call me if Ferncloud becomes distressed.”

Cody nodded, and Leafpaw followed Cinderpelt out of the den, glancing back just once to blink appreciatively at her friend.

When the three cats, Brambleclaw, Squirrelpaw, and Leafpaw, returned to Sunningrocks, the leafbare sun was already low in the sky. Each cat carried a piece of fresh-kill: Leafpaw had caught a mouse; Brambleclaw held a starling in his jaws; while Squirrelpaw carried a plump thrush.

Leafpaw longed to go to sleep and forget Brambleclaw’s worrying warning. But she was a medicine cat, and she could not rest until she knew the Clan was all right. As she followed her sister up the slope, she wondered if Cody had managed to persuade Ferncloud to eat the poppy seed.

Brackenfur met them. 

“The fresh-kill pile is over there.”

He gestured with his tail to a meager heap farther up the rock. Ashfur sat guard beside it, scanning the sky for birds of prey.  **(Birds of prey, please GO FOR ASHFUR!)** The days were gone when the fresh-kill pile lay at the edge of the camp, well stocked and unguarded.

As Leafpaw dropped her offering onto the pile she was shocked by how small it was. There would not be enough for a whole piece of prey each. Tonight she would go without, she decided. She felt too tired to eat anyway. She padded toward Cinderpelt and Mousefur, who were lying underneath a shallow overhang. The medicine cat looked exhausted, as much in need of her healing herbs as any of her Clanmates.

“How’s Ferncloud?” Leafpaw asked.

Cinderpelt looked up. 

“She’s resting now. Cody’s taking good care of her.”

“Not bad for a kittypet, that one,” Mousefur added with a twitch of her tail. “She looked so nervous when she arrived. I didn’t think she’d settle in. But it looks like she’ll be okay here—for a while, anyway.”

Leafpaw blinked gratefully at the dusky brown cat, then turned to Cinderpelt again. There was something she had to ask, even though she dreaded hearing the answer. 

“Will both kits be alright?”

“They both are strong enough for now,” Cinderpelt reassured her. 

“They won’t last the winter if we stay here, though,” Mousefur commented. Her eyes betrayed alarm as she saw Dustpelt padding toward her. “I hope he didn’t hear that,” she whispered. “He’s had enough today.”

“I did hear, Mousefur,” Dustpelt meowed wearily. “And I agree. We must leave the forest.”

Leafpaw stared at him in shock. Larchkit’s near-death, though first a happy event, now seemed to have crushed the last morsel of strength in him. Duspelt raised his voice so that his deep meow rang around the rock. All the other cats stared at him in astonishment.

“We must leave the forest as soon as we can!” he insisted, his eyes blazing. He swung his head around to look at Brambleclaw. “Your message from StarClan is the only sign of hope we’ve had,” he meowed.

Mousefur stood up. 

“Before we can leave, we’ll need a new deputy.”

As she spoke, Firestar appeared from the edge of the forest, carrying a scrawny blackbird. He had clearly heard her words. His eyes glittered as he dropped the blackbird onto the fresh-kill pile and strode up the slope. 

“ThunderClan has a deputy. When Graystripe returns, he won’t find another cat in his place.” He turned to face Dustpelt. “I’m glad you agree we must leave,” he meowed. “But we cannot leave yet, not without the other Clans.”

“I have both of my kits left,” Dustpelt meowed. “But they will die if we stay. We will probably all die.”

“Then we must try harder to persuade the other Clans to leave,” Firestar growled.

“The other Clans can come when they are ready,” Dustpelt retorted. “We are ready now.”

Firestar returned the warrior’s gaze. 

“We cannot leave yet,” he repeated.

“Ferncloud still needs to rest,” Cinderpelt put in quietly. Firestar acknowledged her support with a brief nod.

Brambleclaw faced Dustpelt. 

“I know you are mourning one kit,” he mewed. “And that you fear for the others. But Firestar is right. StarClan would not want us to leave without the other Clans.” He turned to the other cats. “StarClan chose a cat from each Clan to carry Midnight’s message back. We had to work together to survive, without ever thinking of the differences between our Clans. StarClan wanted us to share the journey, to learn how to help one another. They must want us to travel together now.”

Firestar padded across the rock to stand beside the young warrior. 

“We need to send out more hunting patrols,” he meowed. “We are under no threat from the other Clans now. RiverClan have more food than we do. They have no need to attack.” He stared around at the gaunt, hungry cats. “We can devote all our patrols to hunting from now on. We will find enough food in the forest until it is time to leave. Yes, Dustpelt, we will leave. I will visit RiverClan and ShadowClan and try to persuade them once more.”

Relief washed over Leafpaw as the cats began to nod their acceptance. Then her heart lurched again as Mousefur stepped forward.

“But what about Graystripe?” When Firestar flinched, she went on: “Whether he’s coming back or not, we need to find another deputy for as long as he’s not here, someone to carry out his duties.”

“Yes,” Dustpelt agreed. “You haven’t named anyone yet.” He glanced at Brambleclaw. “You should choose someone young. Some cat StarClan clearly approves of.”

Leafpaw looked around. Ashfur, Whitepaw, Frostfur, and Cloudtail were staring at Brambleclaw. Even Thornclaw seemed to be watching the young cat, as though he might be the one to fill Graystripe’s pawprints. Only Mousefur and Rainwhisker were looking elsewhere.

“Brackenfur has enough experience,” Mousefur suggested. “He is young and strong and has earned his warrior name many times over.”

Rainwhisker nodded. 

“Brackenfur would be a good deputy.”

“Why are you talking like this? Graystripe is not dead!” Firestar spat. “He is still our deputy.” The bristling fur along his spine warned the other cats not to argue. He shook himself and blinked, calming down. “But you are right. Someone must carry out Graystripe’s duties. So until he returns, the senior warriors shall share them.” He glanced at Brackenfur.

“You shall organize the new hunting patrols. Sandstorm can organize work within the camp. Brambleclaw, you can help me try to convince ShadowClan and RiverClan that we must leave the forest together.” He stalked toward the overhang, and as he passed Leafpaw he called to her, “I want to speak to you,” he meowed. “Alone.”

Leafpaw followed him uneasily to the hollow. She glanced down at Cody, who was still in the makeshift nursery. The kittypet was busy washing Birchkit, ignoring the tiny kit’s mews of complaint as Larchkit looked on. Ferncloud lay sleeping beside them. Feeling relieved that the cat who needed it most was resting, Leafpaw ducked beneath the overhang into the shadowy cavern.

Firestar looked urgently into her eyes. 

“Leafpaw,” he meowed. “You must tell me if you have had any sign from StarClan.”

“No, nothing,” she answered, surprised by his intensity. “What about Cinderpelt?”

“She has heard nothing either.” Firestar blinked. “I was hoping they might have spoken to you.”

Leafpaw shifted her paws awkwardly. Though she was pleased her father had such faith in her, she felt uncomfortable that he thought StarClan might share with her rather than the Clan’s medicine cat.

“Why are they so quiet?” Firestar continued angrily, unsheathing his claws against the cold stone floor. “Are they trying to tell us each Clan must look after itself rather than leave the forest together?”

“I felt the same when the Twolegs captured me,” Leafpaw admitted. “StarClan did not visit me once in my dreams while I lay in that stinking cage. I felt as if I was utterly alone. But I wasn’t.” She returned her father’s solemn gaze. “Alderpaw spotted a member a Starclan inside the twoleg den, and my Clanmates came to rescue me.”

Firestar opened his eyes wide as she went on. “StarClan won’t do anything to keep the Clans together. They don’t have to. Being one of four Clans—not two, not three, but four— lies within our hearts, just like the ability to track prey and hide in the forest shadows. No matter what the other Clans say, they cannot turn away from the divisions, the differences, the rivalries that bind us. The line that separates us from WindClan or RiverClan is also the line that connects us. StarClan knows this, and it is up to us to have faith in that connection.”

Firestar stared at his daughter as though he were seeing her for the first time. “I wish you could have known Yellowfang. And Spottedleaf,” he murmured. “You remind me of both of them.”

Touched beyond words, Leafpaw lowered her gaze. She sensed that this was not the time to tell her father that Spottedleaf had spoken to her in dreams several times. It was enough that Firestar thought her a worthy companion of the former ThunderClan medicine cat, who padded tirelessly through the stars, watching over her Clanmates. And Yellowfang was hailed to be one of the greatest medicine cats in the forest.

She just hoped with all her heart that their warrior ancestors would come with them when the Clans finally abandoned the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Larchkit: *Is cold*
> 
> Whitestorm: Put her in my fur.
> 
> Cinderpelt: *Does it*
> 
> Whitestorm: Boo-ya


	11. Like Father, Like Son? Nah, Like Mentor, Like Apprentice! (Cheers To Fire & Bramble’s Relationship)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Next one! Firestar meets Sasha. This is gonna be good.

Firestar led the patrol upriver, keeping close to the border where tempting prey-scent drifted across the water from RiverClan’s territory. Squirrelpaw padded behind him in step with Brambleclaw, Lionblaze, Cinderheart, and Tawnypelt a few steps behind, while Ashfur brought up the rear. It was the first time in days that she and Brambleclaw had left the camp together. Firestar had taken the tabby warrior with him to RiverClan and ShadowClan, to plead with them once more to leave the forest. He’d done his best, but Leopardstar and Blackstar both still refused to believe that their future lay with the other Clans, far from their forest home. Needlepaw had tried her best to make Blackstar see reason, but she had no luck.

Clouds had rolled in overnight, and freezing drizzle hung under the trees, refusing to fall as proper rain but still soaking everything it touched. Squirrelpaw’s fur clung uncomfortably to her body as the dampness soaked into her pelt. The trees shone wetly in the bleak leaf-bare light and dripped water onto the fallen leaves below, turning the loose, crisp piles into slippery clumps.

Suddenly Firestar stopped and lifted his nose to scent the air. Squirrelpaw took a deep breath, hoping to catch the welcome aroma of mouse or thrush or vole. But there was no prey-scent coming from this side of the river, only something that seemed strange and familiar all at the same time.

“I think I recognize that smell,” she whispered to Brambleclaw.

“It smells like a rogue,” Brambleclaw growled.

“Hush!” Firestar commanded. He paused, then dashed forward with his hackles raised. The bushes ahead shivered and a tawny cat burst out. As it streaked away Brambleclaw yowled a battle cry, joining the chase.

“Come on!” he called, but Squirrelpaw was already charging after him, tawnypelt a few steps behind.

The tawny cat swerved toward the scent-markers at the RiverClan border. Firestar headed after it without slackening the pace. Squirrelpaw felt a jolt of alarm as she neared the warning scents. The ThunderClan cats were gaining on the rogue as she pelted over the border. Tawnypelt sped past Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw, shooting past Firestar, and the moment her paws crossed the line in pursuit, a furious yowl sounded close by, and a dark brown RiverClan warrior leaped from a swath of bracken, snarling viciously.

Tawnypelt turned, skidding on the wet leaves, and stopped barely over the border. Firestar slid to a halt just behind the border, while Brambleclaw and Ashfur almost crashed into him, but managed to stop in time.

“Hawkfrost!” Brambleclaw gasped.

Tawnypelt took a step backward over the border, to Firestar’s side, staring, fur fluffed up, at Hawkfrost. Firestar, too, stared at Hawkfrost, his eyes stretched wide as though he were staring into the face of a StarClan warrior. Squirrelpaw was surprised that Hawkfrost’s ambush had shocked her father so much. It was hardly strange to encounter a warrior patrolling this close to the border, when every cat in RiverClan knew how close their neighbors were to starvation.

“What are you doing on RiverClan territory?” Hawkfrost demanded.

Firestar did not answer at first, even when Shadecloud gave him a glance. Then he seemed to recover himself, letting his fur lie flat and relaxing his shoulders. “We were chasing that rogue out of ThunderClan territory,” he replied. He glanced at the tawny she-cat who had halted behind Hawkfrost. “Why challenge us when you have allowed a rogue to cross your borders?”

Hawkfrost exchanged a long look with the rogue before he answered. 

“My mother will always be welcome in RiverClan,” he meowed.  _ Sasha! _

Suddenly Squirrelpaw recognized the rogue she had helped escape from the Twoleg nest. She felt the mild triumph of curiosity satisfied. It was common knowledge that Hawkfrost and his siblings, Frogspeck and Mothwing, had been left in RiverClan by their rogue mother, though she hadn’t stayed in the forest long enough to be known by other Clans.

But Firestar seemed to have more unanswered questions, because he stood rigid, staring at mother and son with his ears pricked. Lionblaze, for some reason, was stiff and his eyes glittered dangerously as he stared at Hawkfrost. Cinderheart pressed against her mate and whispered something rapidly to him. Squirrelpaw noticed that Lionblaze was also seated as far away from Ashfur as he possibly could. That was something all the future cats did, and Squirrelpaw wondered why. The dark red she-cat’s attention was drawn back to Sasha.

With a small dip of her head, Sasha meowed a greeting.

“I have heard much about you, Firestar,” she murmured. “It is . . . interesting to meet you at last.” Her voice was icy and dignified, and Squirrelpaw felt self-consciously young and awkward by comparison.

“So you are Sasha?” Firestar meowed softly, his eyes glittering.

“You look as if you expected something else,” Sasha suggested.

Firestar’s gaze swept along her well-groomed pelt. 

“You don’t look like a rogue.”

“And you don’t look like a kittypet,” Sasha countered.

Squirrelpaw winced, but her father showed no anger. Instead he met Sasha’s proud gaze evenly.

“I have often wondered why a rogue would choose to leave her kits with a Clan.”

“Why would a Clan make a kittypet their leader?” Sasha responded. She did not wait for an answer. “Not all cats are true to their birthright, Firestar. Some choose their own path.”

Firestar narrowed his eyes. “Are you such a cat?”

“Maybe,” Sasha meowed. “Maybe not. But I hope my kits are.” She glanced at Hawkfrost, and Squirrelpaw saw a flash of pride in her eyes.

“Will you stay with RiverClan awhile?” Hawkfrost invited her. “We have plenty of prey.” He cast a mocking glance at Firestar, but Firestar didn’t react. Brambleclaw’s tail slightly twitched, and Squirrelpaw ran her tail down his side. Tawnypelt curled her lip as she sat down beside her brother. Firestar simply watched, his eyes still narrowed in thought as Sasha then gave her answer.

“I won’t stay long,” she told him. “But I would like to see Frogspeck and Mothwing before I leave.”

Hawkfrost curled his lip at Firestar. 

“I shall send a patrol as soon as I get back to the camp to make sure you have not been stealing RiverClan prey,” he warned.

“We have no need to steal,” Firestar retorted. He looked at his patrol. “Come on.”

Though the air still crackled with tension, Squirrelpaw knew that the danger had passed. Hawkfrost and Firestar turned from each other and padded away from the border. She prepared to follow her father, but before they had reached the safety of the trees, Firestar halted and called out to Sasha. His voice was strangely calm.

“Tigerstar was their father, wasn’t he?”

Sasha didn’t seem surprised by the question. She nodded.

“Yes, he was.”

The ground lurched beneath Squirrelpaw. No wonder Firestar had looked so surprised when Hawkfrost had leaped out in front of Tawnypelt. He must have thought it was Tigerstar himself, granted a tenth life. He’d seen Hawkfrost before at moonlit gatherings, and at the disastrous meeting at Fourtrees the other night, but perhaps this was the first time they had come face-to-face in daylight. And Tawnypelt had been slightly startled as well, she did know what her father looked like, and probably had the same reaction as Firestar.

Then she heard a gasp beside her and saw Brambleclaw standing with his eyes wide. 

“But Tigerstar was my father too!” he croaked. Tawnypelt interjected;

“Mine too.”

“Does this mean we have kin in another Clan?”

Hawkfrost flicked his gaze to his half kin. 

“I’m surprised you hadn’t guessed,” he meowed. Squirrelpaw looked from one cat to the other, finally noticing the similarities in their tabby pelts and powerful shoulders.

“I thought we were the only ones . . .” Brambleclaw murmured to his sister, who shrugged and affectionectly gave his ear a lick.

“At least you had a chance to know our father.” Hawkfrost twitched his tail. “I envy you that.”

“I learned more from Firestar than I ever did from Tigerstar,” Brambleclaw retorted ferociously. Tawnypelt sharpy nodded, eyes dark. Firestar glanced at Brambleclaw, surprised at how strongly Brambleclaw felt about their relationship.

“But still, Tigerstar knew you. He never even set eyes on me.”

Squirrelpaw felt a twinge of sympathy for him, knowing how much she cherished her relationship with her own father, but she pushed it away. There was something about the RiverClan warrior that she didn’t trust.

Hawkfrost’s gaze hardened. 

“Get away from this border,” he warned, kneading the ground with his long, hooked claws—claws like those of the black-and-gold tigers that eld- ers described in their stories; claws that had given his father his warrior name. “I will defend my Clan against any cat if I have to.”

He turned and led his mother down to the river, and together they waded through the water and disappeared into the bushes on the other side. Squirrelpaw watched them go in silence, knowing he meant his threat.

The rain grew heavier as Firestar led the patrol back to camp, and the Thunderclan leader was disappointed with how little prey they had caught. Brambleclaw had managed to scramble up an oak and catch a squirrel dozing in the crook of a branch, but the effort had left him breathless. The hungry days since he and Squirrelpaw had returned to the Clan were beginning to have an effect on them both.

“I think it’s best if we don’t tell the others what we learned about Hawkfrost,” Firestar decided as they trekked through the dripping trees.

“But shouldn’t the Clan be prepared in case anything happens?” Ashfur meowed. Brambleclaw dropped the squirrel he held in his jaws as Tawnypelt shot the gray warrior a look. Rainwater streamed from Brambleclaw’s whiskers. 

“I think Firestar’s right,” he agreed. “It would be better for the Clan if they didn’t know.”

Firestar nodded to acknowledge his former apprentices’ support. Firestar knew he had struggled long enough already to prove his loyalty, and yet no cat could forget his father’s efforts to destroy ThunderClan - something that Firestar could relate to. He had struggled to prove that his kittypet heritage meant nothing to his skills of being a warrior, but no one would ever forget it.

“There’s no point stirring up unnecessary hostility,” Firestar went on.

Ashfur gave a low growl. 

“But what if Hawkfrost shares his father’s ambition to take over the whole forest?”

“We mustn’t jump to conclusions,” Firestar warned as Tawnypelt and Brambleclaw exchanged offended looks. “It’s clear that Hawkfrost’s first loyalty is to his Clan. He said he would fight to defend them. Does that sound like Tigerstar to you?”

Reluctantly, Ashfur shook his head, and Firestar went on.

“Hawkfrost is no threat to us.”

“Yet,” Ashfur mewed pointedly.

“Until he proves he is, there’s no need to worry the rest of the Clan,” Firestar continued. “We might need RiverClan’s help before this is over.”  _ I hope he never does prove he is, _ Firestar thought.  _ Alderpaw warned me about him, but I have to give him the benefit of the doubt. Though, Icefoot certainly has already decided that he’s guilty. _ Icefoot had been secretly confiding in Firestar about the run-ins he’s had with Hawkfrost, and Firestar’s hope on Hawkfrost not choosing the wrong path was slowly crumbling, but he still clung to it, even though it may be turning out to be fertile.

Ashfur swished his tail in frustration, but did not argue.

“Don’t worry, Ashfur,” Squirrelpaw reassured him. “Hawkfrost is just Hawkfrost. Tigerstar has left nothing bad in the forest except memories.”

“She’s right,” Tawnypelt meowed as Lionblaze flicked his tail in agreement.

Brambleclaw picked up the squirrel with a nod and padded away toward Sunningrocks. Squirrelpaw cast an anxious glance at her father.

“He’ll be okay,” he meowed quietly as he brushed past her. Brambleclaw had his sister, Snowflight, and the rest of the clan to support him. With time, he would be alright.

By the time the cats reached Sunningrocks, rain was battering the exposed rock, and water ran down in rivulets, turning the earth around the rocks to mud. But instead of finding shelter, the cats were gathered halfway up the slope, huddled in a circle. Moans of sorrow mingled with the rattling of the rain on the stone.

With a startled mew, Firestar bounded up the rock, and Squirrelpaw followed, pushing through the cats with her heart beating in her throat. A small dark brown shape lay in the center, pelted by rain which turned pale red as it streamed away down the stone. Squirrelpaw stared down at the limp, sodden body, too shocked to speak as she recognized the nar- row muzzle. It was Shrewpaw.

Cinderpelt and Leafpaw crouched beside the apprentice.

“His neck is broken,” Cinderpelt murmured. “He must have died as soon as the Twoleg monster hit him. He would have felt no pain.”

Squirrelpaw closed her eyes.  _ StarClan, what are you doing? _ She yowled silently.

A desolate cry sounded from the nursery hollow, and Ferncloud hurtled down the slope. Shrewpaw had been one of her first litter. The cats parted to let her see her dead kit.

“What have I done to StarClan that they would steal so much from me?” she wailed.

“Don’t blame StarClan,” Leafpaw mewed gently. “It is the Twolegs that have done this.”

“Why didn’t StarClan stop them?” Ferncloud sobbed.

“They are powerless against the Twolegs, just like we are,” Leafpaw whispered. She gave herself a shake, then straightened up and called, “Cody?”

Squirrelpaw watched the kittypet weave her way through the gathered cats. Her ribs were beginning to show through her flanks, but she hadn’t tried to insist that any warriors be spared from hunting patrols to take her home.

“I think Ferncloud should go back to the nursery,” Leafpaw meowed.

“It’s flooded with rain,” Cody told her. “I’ve put Birchkit and Larchkit in the warriors’ den beneath the overhang. I’ll take Ferncloud to join them.”

“Good idea,” Leafpaw mewed. “Do you still have the poppy seeds?”

Cody nodded. She looked at Ferncloud, who was distraught with grief. 

“Larchkit and Birchkit are hungry and crying for food,” she murmured. “But I think they can manage solid food if I chew it up first. Ferncloud isn’t going to be able to feed them herself for a while, poor thing.”

“Brambleclaw caught a squirrel. They could have that,” Squirrelpaw suggested.

“I’ll bring it to the den,” Ashfur offered.

Cody nudged Ferncloud with her nose, and with Leafpaw’s help they managed to lead her away from her dead kit and back to the shelter of the warriors’ den.

“How did this happen?” Firestar demanded when they had gone.

“He was with me,” began Thornclaw, Shrewpaw’s mentor. His fur stood on end, and his eyes were huge with despair. “He was chasing a pheasant.”

“Why didn’t he see the Twoleg monster?”

“He was chasing a pheasant,” Thornclaw repeated. “It would have fed half the Clan. He forgot to be careful.”

“Didn’t you hear or smell the monster and warn him?”

Firestar’s question was filled more with sorrow than accusation. Thornclaw miserably shook his head. 

“With prey so scarce, the hunting is better if we split up. I wasn’t close enough to see what was going on.”

Firestar dipped his head, understanding.

“I’ll sit with him.” Whitepaw’s young voice sounded over the beating of the rain. Shrewpaw had been her denmate since kithood, and the sorrow of losing him glistened in her green eyes. “I don’t care if we’ve been driven out of our camp. We can still hold a vigil.”

“I’ll join you,” Thornclaw croaked. He leaned down and pressed his nose against Shrewpaw’s bloody flank.

The other cats began filing past to bid farewell to their young Clanmate. When it came to her turn, Squirrelpaw stooped low over Shrewpaw’s body, her heart aching. “You were an apprentice in ThunderClan, but you’ll be a warrior with StarClan,” she whispered.

She turned away and padded down the slope toward the shelter of the trees, her sadness feeling like part of the rain and tiredness that seemed to seep right through to her bones. She spotted Brambleclaw sitting beneath a larch tree, watching her.

“I can’t believe Shrewpaw is dead.” She sighed.

“I know,” Brambleclaw murmured, entwining his tail with hers.

Squirrelpaw leaned closer to him. “Ferncloud is heartbroken.”

“She will find comfort in having the rest of her Clan

around her.” Brambleclaw sighed. Tawnypelt and a white tom, Snowflight, trotted over to them, mewing quiet greetings.

Squirrelpaw couldn’t help feeling that Brambleclaw was talking about more than Ferncloud’s grief.

“After all, the Clan means more to a cat than real kin,” he went on. Tawnypelt touched her nose to her brother’s.

“True,” she meowed. “A clan is a family, we’re all part of this family.” Snowflight flicked some water off his ears.

“We’ve know each other since we were kits,” he meowed. “And I consider you both to be part of my family.” Was it Squirrelpaw’s imagination, or did Snowflight cast a shy look at Tawnypelt. From the curious look on Brambleclaw’s face, he seemed to catch it too.

“What about Frogspeck, Hawkfrost, and Mothwing? Do you feel anything for them, now that you know you share the same father?” Snowflight asked, looking genuinely curious.

“Knowing we share the same father doesn’t change anything,” Brambleclaw went on. “I am nothing like Hawkfrost.” The tip of his tail twitched anxiously. “Am I?”

“Of course not,” Squirrelpaw replied hotly. “No cat would think you are.”

“Even when they find out what we have in common?”

“ThunderClan will always think of you as a brave warrior, loyal to his Clan,” Squirrelpaw reassured him.

“Thank you.” He gave her a quick lick on the cheek. “Anyone fancy a walk?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“Might as well.”

“I could use a walk to stretch my legs.”

They all got to their paws and moved away toward the river, sitting down and stared across the border into RiverClan territory. The river carved its way though the small glade, its surface shattered by the pouring rain. She peered closer and blinked. “Look, Brambleclaw!” she mewed in surprise. “Look at the river!”

“What about it?” Tawnypelt and Snowflight looked at the river, eyes narrowed against the rain.

“Do you remember when Hawkfrost and Sasha waded across it earlier?”

“Yes.” Brambleclaw twitched his ear. “So?”

“Well, they waded across it,” Squirrelpaw repeated. “They didn’t swim; they  _ waded _ .”

Brambleclaw looked baffled.

“Look at the stepping-stones!” Squirrelpaw jumped up and pointed with her tail. “They’re sticking right out of the water. After rain like this, in the middle of leaf-bare, they should be nearly covered.”

“You’re right.” Brambleclaw sat up. Tawnypelt dashed over to the stones for a closer look and waved her tail to acknowledge that Squirrelpaw was correct.

“Surely the river shouldn’t be this shallow?” Snowflight murmurred.

“Well, it’s been quite dry lately,” Brambleclaw commented.

“Not that dry,” he argued. “It’s been pouring all day today, but the river’s not swollen at all. Something must be wrong.”

“Like what?”

Just then a familiar voice called from the bank opposite,

“What are you all up to?”

Stormfur appeared and waded across the stream. 

“Are you finding it as hard as I am, being cooped up in camp after our journey?” He waved his tail in greeting to Tawnypelt and Snowflight.

“Yes. Everything is harder. Shrewpaw died,” Squirrelpaw told him sadly. “Whitepaw’s sitting vigil.” Suddenly she wondered if they should be back at camp, mourning their lost Clanmate. She glanced at Brambleclaw, who seemed to understand her anxiety.

“We’ll join them soon,” he promised.

“Do you want me to catch you a fish to take back?” Stormfur offered.

“The Clan needs all the fresh-kill they can get,” Tawnypelt meowed. “But I don’t think they’d accept it.”

“Are you sure?” Stormfur asked. “They’re easy to catch now that the water’s dropped.”

“So I was right. The level is lower than usual,” Squirrelpaw mewed, gazing again at the shallow stream. “Is something wrong?”

Stormfur shrugged. 

“Just a dry spell. This rain will get it flowing again.”

Squirrelpaw picked up a trace of Sasha’s stale scent on the breeze. She glanced at Stormfur; the mystery of the river seemed suddenly less important than how the rest of RiverClan felt about the rogue she-cat who seemed to come and go as she wished—and whose kits had so much influence in their adopted Clan. 

“We saw Sasha this morning,” she began.

“You know Sasha?” Stormfur looked surprised. “Oh, I forgot. You met her when you rescued Stonefur, didn’t you? When . . . when my father was taken.”

His voice trailed away, and Squirrelpaw pressed her flank against his. 

“I’m so sorry,” she murmured helplessly.

Stormfur nudged her with his nose. 

“So am I. I wish I could have been there to help,” he meowed. “But my father made his own decision to help the trapped cats.” He took a deep breath before he went on. “Thanks to him we got Stonefur back. The whole of RiverClan were amazed when he showed up.”

“Hawkfrost especially, I’m sure,” Brambleclaw commented. Squirrelpaw shot him a warning glance. Hawkfrost had been made deputy when Stonefur disappeared, which meant he might not have welcomed Stonefur back with the same enthusiasm as every other cat.

“Well, I doubt he wanted to stop being deputy quite so soon,” Stormfur agreed. “But he welcomed her return as much as any cat. He’s a good warrior. He knows he’ll be deputy one day, and he doesn’t mind waiting.”

“He sounds very confident,” Squirrelpaw remarked carefully.

“He’s always been like that,” Stormfur replied. “What’s more important is that he’s totally loyal to the Clan, and sticks to the warrior code like a caterpillar to a leaf.”

Squirrelpaw blinked. Somehow she didn’t think Stormfur had the faintest idea of who Hawkfrost’s father was. Tawnypelt met her gaze and nodded, clearly agree with what Squirrelpaw had just thought. She looked at Brambleclaw, trying to read his reaction, but Brambleclaw had something else on his mind.

“Do you think there’s any chance Leopardstar will change her mind about leaving the forest?”

“Leopardstar says she’s not going anywhere as long as there’s fish in the river,” Stormfur told him.

“Doesn’t she care about the Clans staying together?” Squirrelpaw demanded.

“She did ask Mudfur if he’d had any sign from StarClan, just to be sure,” Stormfur told her defensively. “But Mudfur hasn’t left his nest much recently.”

“So he’s had no sign either?” Squirrelpaw asked, disappointed.

“Nothing.” Stormfur sighed. “It looks like the sign Midnight promised us isn’t going to come, now that the Twolegs have destroyed Fourtrees.”

“Perhaps we’ve seen the sign but just not realized what it was,” Squirrelpaw wondered out loud.

“Well, we’ve seen plenty of dying since we got back,” Brambleclaw muttered darkly. “Not just warriors, but kits and apprentices, too. But you know what? I’m beginning to think that no cat’s going to show us the way. Wherever we’re going, we’ll have to find our own way there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hawkfrost: *Jumps out*
> 
> Firestar: *PTSD activated, nightmares come back, Tigerstar's death replays*
> 
> Squirrelpaw: He needs a therapist.


	12. Frogspeck (Tries To)Give(s) His Siblings Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #4. We got Frogspeck time now!

Mothwing led the ThunderClan cats into the reed beds; they were no longer marshy, but felt dry underpaw. Leafpaw’s heart quickened at the thought of entering another Clan’s camp, but Mothwing seemed unconcerned and took them straight into the clearing among the reeds. Unfamiliar eyes gleamed in the shadows, but there was nothing but worry and curiosity in their faces.

“Good, you have come,” Leopardstar greeted them. Even in the moonlight Leafpaw could see that the RiverClan leader was not as well fed as she had been lately. Her pelt hung from her body, and her eyes had the dullness of hunger that Leafpaw had begun to accept as normal.

But why should RiverClan cats be starving when the Twolegs were still a long way from their territory?

“Mudfur is in his den,” Leopardstar meowed. “Mothwing will take you.” She stared into Cinderpelt’s eyes. “Do everything you can, but don’t let him suffer. He has served this Clan well, and if StarClan needs him more than we do, then we should let him go in peace.”

Leafpaw followed Cinderpelt and Mothwing through a narrow reed-lined passage that opened into a smaller clearing. It was so similar to the medicine clearing in the ravine that she felt a pang of longing for her old home.

A low moan came from a shadowy corner.

“It’s all right, Mudfur,” Mothwing whispered. “I’ve brought Cinderpelt.”

Cinderpelt hurried over to examine the medicine cat, sniffing him and pressing gently along his flanks with her paws. Whatever it was, the sickness had taken hold far inside his frail body. Mudfur was clearly in agony, his words indistinct and filled with pain.

“Cinder . . . pelt . . . let . . . me . . . go . . . peacefully,” he begged in a voice that rasped like claws scraping on bark.

“Lie still, my friend.” Cinderpelt looked up at Mothwing. “What have you given him so far?”

“Stinging nettle for the swelling, honey and marigold to soothe the infections, feverfew to cool him, and poppy seeds for the pain.” Mothwing listed her remedies quickly. 

“Good, that’s exactly what I would have given him,” Cinderpelt agreed. “Have you tried yarrow yet?”

Mothwing nodded. 

“But it made him sick.”

“It can do that sometimes.” Cinderpelt looked down at Mudfur, and her blue eyes clouded with sympathy. “I’m sorry. I don’t think there’s much more we can do.”

“But he’s suffering!” Mothwing protested.

“I’ll give him more poppy seeds,” Cinderpelt meowed. “Do you have any marigold left?”

“Plenty.” Mothwing hurried to a gap in the reed wall and drew out a pawful of crushed petals. Taking some dried berries from one of the bundles, Cinderpelt began to knead the petals into them. The berries still had enough softness in them to make a pulp. Cinderpelt sprinkled in more poppy seeds than Leafpaw had seen her use before, then she pushed the mashed herbs to Mudfur.

“This will soothe your pain,” she whispered. “Eat as much as you can.”

The old medicine cat began to lap at it, his eyes growing soft with gratitude as he recognized what was in the mixture.

For a wild moment, Leafpaw wondered if Cinderpelt had given him enough poppy seeds to make him sleep all the way to StarClan, but she knew from the gentleness in her men- tor’s eyes that she was only trying to ease Mudfur’s pain.

However silent their warrior ancestors had been lately, Cinderpelt still trusted them to come for Mudfur when they chose to.

“Leave us now,” Cinderpelt murmured to Leafpaw and Mothwing. “I’ll sit with him till he sleeps.”

“Will he die?” Mothwing asked, her voice quavering.

“Not yet,” Cinderpelt told her. “But this will ease his suffering until StarClan calls him.”

Leafpaw backed away and followed Mothwing through the tunnel to the main clearing.

“How is he?” Leopardstar demanded as soon as they emerged into the silvery pool of moonlight.

“Cinderpelt’s doing all she can,” Mothwing reported. Leopardstar nodded, then turned and padded away.

“I’ve never been here before,” Leafpaw mewed, hoping to distract Mothwing. “It’s well-sheltered.”

The young cat shrugged. 

“It’s a good camp.”

“I’m not surprised Leopardstar doesn’t want to leave it,” Leafpaw went on, being careful to keep her voice nonthreatening. She was curious about Leopardstar’s sudden thinness—and by the look of the other cats moving around the edge of the clearing, the RiverClan leader was not the only cat going hungry here.

“You’re running out of fish now that the river’s so low, aren’t you?” Leafpaw guessed bravely.

Mothwing looked at her for a long moment. 

“Yes. We haven’t eaten well for a while.”

“Does that mean Leopardstar might consider leaving now?”

To her dismay, Mothwing shook her head. 

“Leopardstar says we will stay as long as there are no Twolegs in our territory. She says that if the river cannot feed us, we will have to learn to hunt new prey.”

Leafpaw felt a searing pang of frustration with the stubborn RiverClan  _ leader—there was no new prey, _ she longed to screech—but she did not want to show disrespect for Mothwing’s Clan. 

“You’ve become a great medicine cat,” she mewed, clumsily changing the subject. “Cinderpelt wouldn’t have done anything different to help Mudfur.”

Leafpaw almost leaped out of her fur when Hawkfrost’s voice sounded beside her ear.

“You’re right,” he agreed. “The Clan will be lucky to have such a good medicine cat when Mudfur goes to hunt with StarClan.”

“I think Hawkfrost has more faith in me than I do myself,” Mothwing murmured.

“Our brother may have more faith in you, but I know you need more faith in yourself.” Frogspeck joined them and gave his sister an encouraging lick.

“You have no reason to doubt yourself,” Hawkfrost insisted. “Our father was a great warrior. Our mother is proud and strong. They shared only one flaw: that their only loyalty was—and still is, in Sasha’s case—to themselves above all other cats.” He paused and glanced around the clearing. “We’re not like that. We understand what it means to be loyal to our Clan. We have the courage to live by the warrior code. And because of that we’ll be the most powerful cats in RiverClan one day, and our Clanmates will have to respect us then.”

Leafpaw felt as if she’d been flung headfirst into the icy river. However much Hawkfrost pledged to live by the warrior code, that sort of ambition could make him dangerous—like his father before him.

Mothwing gave a purr of amusement. 

“You mustn’t take anything my brother says too seriously,” she told Leafpaw. “He’s the bravest and most loyal cat in RiverClan, but he gets carried away sometimes.”

“That he does,” Frogspeck meowed. “He needs to learn to take that ego down a few notches.” he poked his brother in the shoulder to empathize his point.

Leafpaw blinked. She hoped with all her heart that Mothwing was right. But the arrogance that glinted in Hawkfrost’s eyes filled her heart with unease. Something told her—some instinct that made her fur crawl—that this was only the beginning.

Hawkfrost could not be trusted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Leafpaw and Mothwing talking*
> 
> Hawkfrost: Boo.
> 
> Leafpaw: *Near heart-attack*
> 
> Frogspeck: Yo, ma sibs! Wassup Leafy?


	13. Firestar Plays Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are going down now.....literally.

Squirrelpaw dropped the mouse onto the fresh-kill pile. It did little to bulk up the meager offerings of a sparrow and a vole already brought in by the dawn patrol. Sorreltail had hunted with her, but had caught nothing.

“Take that straight to the elders,” Firestar mewed, padding over to them.

“Not Ferncloud?” Squirrelpaw queried.

“Cinderpelt says she won’t eat anything yet.” Firestar sighed. “But Cody has been sharing food with Birchkit and Larchkit.”

“That kittypet should go back to her Twolegs and stop eating our fresh-kill,” Sorreltail commented irritably. “She’s no good for hunting.”

“Cody takes hardly anything for herself,” Firestar pointed out. “And while she cares for the kits, the other cats have more time for hunting.”

Squirrelpaw glanced sympathetically at Sorreltail. She probably resented Cody more for taking up Leafpaw’s time than for being a kittypet. She picked up the mouse and carried it to where the elders were making the most of the frail warmth of sunhigh at the top of Sunningrocks.

Frostfur and Speckletail had their eyes closed, dozing. Brindleface was curled up, sound asleep, while Whitesotrm and Willowpelt were curled up together, talking quietly. Longtail, the blind tom who was no older than some of the warriors, sat up. 

“I smell mouse,” he mewed.

“It’s not very big, I’m afraid,” Squirrelpaw apologized.

“It’s fine,” Longtail assured her. He prodded the mouse with his paw, and the tip of his tail twitched excitedly when the little body shifted, as if the desire to hunt for himself had not dimmed.

Suddenly he lifted his head and opened his mouth to scent the air. “WindClan!” he exclaimed, more in surprise than alarm.

“What, here?” mewed Squirrelpaw, looking around. She didn’t think her father was expecting visitors.

At the foot of the rock, Tallstar was leading a small, bedraggled patrol out of the woods. The ThunderClan cats watched them climb slowly up to where Firestar waited. No cat challenged them. Tallstar’s step was so faltering, his frame so emaciated, that Squirrelpaw was amazed he had made it all the way here. The three warriors that accompanied him were in no better condition; Onewhisker, Tornear, and even sturdy Gorseheart were so thin they looked like they were made of twigs and leaves, and Squirrelpaw half feared the breeze might blow them away.

Crowpaw was at the rear of the patrol, looking thinner than he had on the journey to the sun-drown-place, though he was not quite as scrawny as his companions. Squirrelpaw bounded down the slope to touch noses with him in greeting.

When she got closer, she saw that his eyes were as dull as his Clanmates’, and his fur was ungroomed.

“Crowpaw!” she exclaimed. “Are you okay?”

“I’m as fit as any of my Clan,” Crowpaw growled. Tornear blinked at her. 

“Crowpaw has been hunting like a whole patrol on his own, finding prey to feed nearly all the Clan,” he reported.

Squirrelpaw pricked her ears.

“He even caught a hawk two sunrises ago,” Gorseheart went on. Even though starvation seemed to have robbed the WindClan warrior of all emotion, Squirrelpaw thought she detected a hint of pride in Gorseheart’s voice.

Crowpaw shrugged. 

“I used a trick the Tribe taught us.”

“Crowpaw!” Brambleclaw came bounding up the rock. Squirrelpaw saw his eyes darken, and she guessed he was as shocked as she had been to find their friend so gaunt and lifeless.

Tallstar’s voice distracted her. 

“Firestar, we have come to plead for ThunderClan’s help,” he rasped. As if the effort of speaking were too much, his legs buckled and he collapsed onto his side. Squirrelpaw started to go over to help him, but Brambleclaw held her back with a touch of his tail.

“The Twolegs have started to destroy the warrens where we have been sheltering,” Tallstar panted. “We cannot stay a moment longer on the moor, but we are too weak to travel alone. I don’t care that we haven’t had another sign. I just know we have to leave. Take us to this sun-drown-place, I beg you.”

Firestar looked down at Tallstar, and Squirrelpaw saw sorrow flash in his eyes. 

“We have been allies many times,” he murmured. “And to watch you starve is more than I can bear.”

He lifted his gaze and stared into the forest, and, as he did so, the brambles under the trees rustled and a ginger shape exploded from the bushes.

Rowanclaw! The ShadowClan cat’s pelt bristled, and his eyes were wild with fear.

“The Twolegs are attacking our camp!” he yowled, his voice echoing over the rock. “They have surrounded us with their monsters! Please come!”

Firestar bounded down the slope ahead of the others. Even Tallstar hauled himself to his paws and hurried toward the ShadowClan warrior.

“Please help us,” Rowanclaw cried to Firestar. Brambleclaw, Squirrelpaw, and Crowpaw all harred over to him as Firestarraised his tail. 

“We will come for the sake of ShadowClan,” he told her gently. “And for the sake of all the Clans in the forest.” He looked at his warriors. “Thornclaw, Mousefur, Sandstorm, you will each lead a patrol. We will take all those strong enough to fight.” Instantly the three warriors began weaving among the cats, issuing orders.

“What about defending the camp?” Dustpelt called.

“Defend it from what?” Firestar replied. “The only creatures that threaten us now are already attacking ShadowClan.”

“What about RiverClan?” Leafpaw’s quiet mew sounded from higher up the slope. She fell silent as the ThunderClan warriors turned to stare at her.

Squirrelpaw’s heart lurched. Her sister was right. With the camp undefended, Hawkfrost might persuade RiverClan to claim Sunningrocks for themselves.

But the warriors clearly misunderstood Leafpaw’s warning. 

“RiverClan won’t help us!” Mousefur spat.

“They might,” Cinderpelt argued. “The river’s drying up. RiverClan are not as well-fed as they used to be.”

Squirrelpaw glanced at Brambleclaw, then at Tawnypelt and Snowflight. They weren’t the only ones to have noticed the river. If RiverClan were suffering, they were more likely to help ThunderClan than attack them. But her nagging suspicion of Hawkfrost remained.

Firestar’s eyes lit up with hope. 

“Brambleclaw! Tawnypelt!” he called. “Go to RiverClan and ask Leopardstar for help!”

“Yes, Firestar!” the siblings took off.

“Squirrelpaw, you’ll join my patrol,” Sandstorm ordered. “Stay near me or Dustpelt.”

Squirrelpaw nodded. Her paws tingled with excitement. It was time to fight back—or time to accept that the forest had been lost, and leave. Even the WindClan warriors seemed to have brightened at the prospect of a battle. Onewhisker thrashed his tail in agitation, while Tornear paced back and forth in front of him.

“We will come with you,” Tallstar announced, his croaking voice finding new strength.

Firestar shook his head. 

“You are not strong enough.”

Tallstar fixed Firestar with a stern gaze. 

“My warriors and I are coming.”

Firestar dipped his head. “Very well,” he mewed respectfully. Then Squirrelpaw heard her father quietly whisper; “You know I only worry for your life.” Tallstar slightly dipped his head.

“And I, yours.” he quietly rasped. Squirrelapaw stared, utterly confused at her father’s and the Windclan leader’s quiet admissions to each other.

Firestar then surveyed his Clan. 

“Mousefur, Sandstorm, Thornclaw, are your patrols ready?”

The three warriors nodded.

“This may be our last battle in the forest,” Firestar went on, his voice barely louder than a growl. “We won’t be able to stop the Twolegs completely, but we can try to save ShadowClan.” He looked at Leafpaw. “We’ll need you with us to look after any wounded cats. Cinderpelt will stay behind and take care of the cats here.”

Squirrelpaw knew that the medicine cat’s old injury meant she would be more valuable to the Clan here at Sunningrocks, ready to tend to any cat who returned from the battle injured. She felt a flash of protectiveness toward her sister, then reminded herself that medicine cats learned fighting skills as well as any warrior.

As Firestar led his Clan down the slope, Squirrelpaw heard Onewhisker whispering to his leader.

“Tallstar, you are on your last life,” he was mewing urgently. “Please stay here.”

“Whether I’m on my first life or my ninth, my duty is to the forest,” Tallstar replied calmly. “I will not miss this battle.”  **(Tallstar, this is why I love you. #LetUsStriveToBeLikeTallstar)**

Squirrelpaw saw icy determination in the old cat’s eyes, and felt glad for the sake of his dignity when Onewhisker just nodded and walked beside him down the slope to the other cats.

Firestar paused for a moment at the edge of the trees to check that all the patrols were ready before charging into the forest. Squirrelpaw pelted after him with Snowflight beside her, their paws thrumming on the hard ground. She glanced back. No cat had fallen behind; even Tallstar was keeping pace. They followed the river until they were safely past the Twoleg clearing nearest the ravine, then swerved around to reach the crest of the slope that led down to Fourtrees.

Firestar didn’t hesitate, but led them straight over the top of the rise. In the hollow, the slaughtered trees had been neatly stacked in piles. With a sickening jolt Squirrelpaw saw that the Great Rock been utterly crushed, reduced to nothing more than a massive pile of cracked stone.

Crowpaw weaved through the running cats and fell in step beside her. 

“Don’t look at it,” he warned. “Even if the Great Rock were still here, it wouldn’t help ShadowClan.”

Suddenly a yowl rang out from behind them, and Firestar swerved to a halt. The cats behind him stopped and spun around.

Stonefur, the RiverClan deputy, stood at the top of the slope. He had her Clan’s finest warriors beside him: His sister, Mistyfoot, Stormfur, Blackclaw, Frogspeck, and Mothwing, and beside them the imposing shape of Hawkfrost. Behind him, Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt slid out from the patrol of Riverclan warriors, the outline of Brambleclaw’s head and shoulders matched with Hawkfrost’s, and Tawnypelt’s lean figure aligned with Frogspeck’s against the pale sky.

“Wait!” Stonefur called down. “RiverClan will join you!”

Brambleclaw raced over to Squirrelpaw, Tawnypelt at his heels.

“How did you persuade Leopardstar to let them come?” she gasped.

“It wasn’t hard,” Brambleclaw told her. “They’re hungry and growing desperate.”

Stormfur pushed his way through the restless cats to join them. 

“We’ll be fighting together.”

“It’s as it should be,” Crowpaw growled from behind.

Looking around, Squirrelpaw realized that all the cats that had returned from the sun-drown-place were beside her— Brambleclaw, Stormfur, Crowpaw, and Rowanclaw. She glanced up at the sky.  _ Feathertail, are you watching us? _ She closed her eyes for a moment, hoping that they hadn’t left their friend behind forever with the Tribe of Rushing Water.

“Come on!” Firestar called. With a fierce battle cry, he led them toward ShadowClan territory.

The Thunderpath that had divided ThunderClan from ShadowClan for many moons lay eerily silent.

“They stopped the other monsters from coming here just before they started destroying our part of the forest,” Rowanclaw whispered to Squirrelpaw. “At least it makes it easier to cross,” he added dryly.

The hard surface felt icy underpaw as Squirrelpaw raced over it and into the trees. She heard the distant roaring of monsters and smelled their acrid scent. Her paws trembled, but fury urged her on. Crowpaw raced alongside her, his eyes grimly focused on the path. Squirrelpaw was amazed that his bony, ragged body possessed such strength.

She glimpsed a Twoleg monster through the trees. Its great yellow forepaws were lowered, its claws unsheathed as it tore through the undergrowth. Suddenly a violent and unnatural sound filled the forest, and Squirrelpaw scrambled to a standstill. All around, the forest rang with a dreadful creaking and groaning that seemed to split the air.

Flattening her body against the trembling forest floor, she saw a Twoleg monster only tail-lengths away. With massive paws it ripped an oak from the ground, dragging its roots from the earth as if it were a blade of grass. The tree’s branches crashed like hail as the monster tipped it over and began to strip the trunk, showering the cats with chips of bark. Something growled behind them, and Squirrelpaw whirled around to find their escape blocked as another monster rolled steadily toward them.

“They’re nearly at the camp!” Rowanclaw yowled.

With a sickening feeling of dread, Squirrelpaw saw more monsters ahead, churning their way toward the tangle of brambles that hid the ShadowClan camp.

“We’ll have to go that way,” Firestar called, gesturing with his tail toward a gap in the trees the monsters had not yet reached.

“No!” spat Crowpaw. “It’ll be quicker this way!” He darted forward, heading straight for the camp.

“Stop! You’ll be killed!” Squirrelpaw leaped onto Crowpaw’s back and dragged him to the ground, digging in her claws.

He collapsed beneath her, hissing with fury. 

“Get off me!”

Brambleclaw raced over to them. 

“Don’t be such a fool, Crowpaw!”

“He’s gone mad!” Squirrelpaw shrieked. “I’m not going to let him kill himself!”

“I’m not frightened of joining StarClan,” Crowpaw spat back. “The forest is dying anyway. At least in StarClan, Feathertail will be waiting for me!”

Brambleclaw leaned down and snarled into Crowpaw’s face. 

“You would rather join a dead warrior than fight to save live ones?” Squirrelpaw felt the fight drain from Crowpaw’s body, but Brambleclaw went on. “Your Clan needs you more now than ever! Use your head and follow Firestar’s orders! Squirrelpaw, you can take your claws off him now.”

Gingerly she let go, half expecting Crowpaw to dart off into the trees again, but the WindClan apprentice only stood up and shook himself. Behind them, the elm-killing monster attacked its victim. Thorn-sharp splinters of wood shot through the air, and Squirrelpaw felt searing pain as a tiny sliver of bark stabbed into her flank.

“Now!” yowled Firestar. The cats leaped forward just as the monster tore a branch from the elm, sending it crashing onto the forest floor where the cats had stood a heartbeat before. Firestar stopped when they reached the bramble thicket.

“Sandstorm, take Leafpaw and the rest of your patrol and get the kits and queens out,” he ordered. “Mousefur, take Tornear, Gorseheart, and Crowpaw with your patrol and find the elders.” Squirrelpaw turned to follow her mother, but Firestar called her back. “Squirrelpaw, I need you here!” he commanded.

“Thornclaw, you help the apprentices to get out. RiverClan warriors, go with him, please.” Stonefur nodded and darted off with the ThunderClan cat. “Dustpelt, wait at the entrance and make sure everyone escapes. Don’t let any cat block the way.”

“What about me?” Onewhisker demanded as the others charged away.

“I’ll get to you soon,” Firestar promised. He turned to Rowanclaw who was tearing at the ground with his long, hooked claws. “You know this part of the forest better than us. We can’t go back the way we came. Which way’s the quickest out of here?”

“That way!” Rowanclaw answered at once, nodding to a break in the trees. “If we’re quick, we’ll get to it before the monsters and pick up a trail that will take us to the tunnel under the Thunderpath.”

Firestar turned back to Onewhisker and Tallstar. 

“You two must defend our escape route,” he meowed. It was the least dangerous of all the tasks, and Squirrelpaw knew that her father was trying to preserve the WindClan leader’s last life.

Firestar looked at Brambleclaw, Squirrelpaw, Tawnypelt, and Snowflight. 

“You two, let Rowanclaw take you into the camp. He’ll know which den is which. Make sure that no cat remains inside the camp. If you hear me yowl, get out at once. It’ll mean the monsters have reached the brambles.”

Brambleclaw pressed his muzzle to Squirrelpaw’s ear. 

“Are you okay with this?”

“Of course I am! What do you take me for—a kit who’s never left the nursery?” Squirrelpaw jerked indignantly away.

He blinked at her, his eyes glittering with concern, and she realized with a jolt that he was just worried about her. 

“I’m fine,” she promised. “It feels like a battle, and I need to fight for the forest—even if we can’t win. We can’t let Rowanclaw down.”

She whirled around and raced for the camp entrance. Rowanclaw was already scrambling through the prickly tunnel that led into the camp. As Squirrelpaw pounded after him into the clearing, the stench of terror nearly stopped her dead in her tracks. Pelts flashed everywhere as the ShadowClan cats bolted in blind panic. Terrified yowls tore through the air as queens called for their kits, and warriors shrieked orders.

Amid the chaos, the newly arrived warriors were somehow managing to stay calm: Squirrelpaw spotted Sorreltail and Tornear flanking a group of confused ShadowClan elders to herd them across the clearing; on the far side, Leafpaw urged Runningnose, the old ShadowClan medicine cat, toward the camp entrance.

Blackstar’s white coat stood out among the shadows. A gray apprentice crouched beside him, his fur standing on end.

“Don’t be afraid!” the ShadowClan leader growled, nudging the apprentice to his paws. “I won’t let you die.”

He began to push the petrified apprentice toward the tunnel. Suddenly a kit squealed from the far end of the clearing.

Blackstar turned to look, and Squirrelpaw followed his gaze. The tiny scrap of dark brown fur had flattened itself on the ground and screwed its eyes tightly shut. A sliver blurr flew toward the kit, and Needlepaw picked it up, speeding back out of camp. Blackstar got the apprentice moving and they vanished into the entrance tunnel.

Squirrelpaw rushed over to the nursery thicket and thrust her head into the nest. Peering into the shadows, she scented the air and listened for mewling above the roaring of the monsters.

The nest was empty.

“Is everyone out?” Mothwing stood beside her, pelt bristling.

As Squirrelpaw nodded, she heard Hawkfrost call to one of his Clanmates, 

“We’ve done enough. Get out now, before the camp is destroyed!”

“We’ll stay until every cat is out!” Stonefur countermanded instantly, his sharp yowl making Hawkfrost freeze in surprise.

“Stop acting like you’re in charge!” Mothwing hissed angrily to her brother.

“Maybe not now,” Hawkfrost spat back. “But one day!”

“One day isn’t today!” Frogspeck screeched as he herded the last couple apprentices from the camp.

A tortoiseshell ShadowClan queen was struggling to carry her two kits across the clearing. She kept dropping one and dashing back to fetch the other. Squirrelpaw raced over.

“I’ll take this one!” she breathed, picking up the tiny bundle in her teeth.

The queen flashed her a grateful look, and together they made for the entrance. Dustpelt was waiting outside, and Needlepaw appeared once more, taking the kit Squirrelpaw thrusted at her, and ran back down the tunnel.

The camp was emptying quickly, and the roar of the monsters was deafeningly close.  _ Make sure that no cat remains inside the camp. _ Firestar’s order rang in her ears. She scoured the shadows of the camp wall for cats, terrified that any moment a monster would crash through, but only Brambleclaw, Rowanclaw, Tawnypelt, Snowflight, and Mothwing were left in the clearing.

“Mothwing, get outside and help Leafpaw check for injuries,” Brambleclaw hissed. “We’ll search the camp for stragglers.”

Mothwing headed for the tunnel. 

“Hurry!” she called over her shoulder.

Trees were tipping and falling all around the camp, their leafless branches rattling together like dried bones. But Squirrelpaw had not heard her father’s signal yet, so she had to assume it was safe to stay.

“Is everyone out?” Brambleclaw demanded.

“We need to check the dens again to make sure,” Rowanclaw panted.

“I’ve checked the nursery,” Squirrelpaw meowed. “It’s empty.”

“Did Tallpoppy and her kits get out?”

“I helped a queen and her kits to the tunnel,” Squirrelpaw told him.

Brambleclaw flicked his tail. 

“I’ll check the warriors’ den.” He glanced at Tawnypelt. “You check the apprentices’.”

“What about the medicine clearing?” Squirrelpaw called to Rowanclaw.

“Littlecloud’s gone already.”

“But are any sick cats there?” Squirrelpaw demanded. Rowanclaw blinked. “I don’t know,” he admitted.

“I’ll check,” Squirrelpaw promised. “Where’s the entrance?”

“Over there!” Rowanclaw pointed with a flick of his tail to a tangle of thorns beside the warriors’ den.

Squirrelpaw squeezed her way through the narrow tunnel. It opened into a large den, sheltered from the camp and the forest by a thick covering of hawthorn branches. The den was empty, and she was about to push her way back out when she heard her father’s yowl.

“Get out! The monsters have reached the camp!”

She began to struggle through the tunnel, but the brambles clung to her pelt. She thrashed wildly and felt the thorns dig deeper. A tree groaned overhead, its timber cracking as it began to fall. With a deafening crash it smashed into the ground so close to the camp wall that Squirrelpaw felt the ground shudder.

Wild with fear, she writhed harder, trying to pull herself free. 

“Brambleclaw!” she shrieked. “Help!” She expected a tree to crash down on top of her at any moment. Would she be killed trying to help ShadowClan, with no chance to see their new home?

Suddenly Squirrelpaw felt strong teeth sink into the scruff of her neck and haul her forward. The thorns raked her flanks like claws, but she did not care. She leaped to her paws. Brambleclaw was staring at her, his sides heaving.

“Thank you!” she breathed. She pressed her muzzle against his, but they weren’t safe yet. Another tree groaned overhead, and Squirrelpaw looked up to see a shadow loom slowly over the camp. A huge sycamore was tipping toward them, its branches spreading across the sky as it began to topple.

“Where’s everyone else?” she cried.

“I told them to go,” Brambleclaw meowed. “Everyone has left but us. Let’s get out of here!”

The two cats pelted toward the camp entrance and shot through, almost crashing into Dustpelt, who was waiting outside.

“You’re the last,” he yowled. “Come on!”

Looking over her shoulder, Squirrelpaw saw the sycamore crash down onto the camp, crushing everything beneath its heavy branches. Another of the Clans’ camps had been destroyed. The home that ShadowClan had lived in for uncountable moons was gone.

Dustpelt led them away through the forest. Tallstar and Onewhisker were waiting on the path, staring with wide, horrified eyes as the forest fell about them. Firestar, Leafpaw, and Rowanclaw were with them.

“Hurry!” Onewhisker urged. “The others are already heading for the Thunderpath!”

“I thought you hadn’t heard my warning!” Firestar gasped.

“I got stuck,” Squirrelpaw explained breathlessly.

“Where’s Crowpaw?” Brambleclaw asked, looking around. “And Tawnypelt and Snowflight?”

“Heading for the tunnel.” Firestar flinched as another oak smashed into the ground nearby.

“Did all the queens and kits get out?” Rowanclaw demanded.

“Blackstar had a kit,” Onewhisker answered. “And there was a tortoiseshell with two kits. . . .”

“What about Tallpoppy?”

“I thought Tallpoppy was the tortoiseshell!” Squirrelpaw gasped.

“Tallpoppy’s a tabby!” Rowanclaw’s voice rose in panic. “She’s got three kits, not two!”

The cats gazed at one another in dismay.

“I thought everyone was out,” spat Dustpelt.

“The camp was definitely empty,” Squirrelpaw panted. “They must have run off into the forest!”

Squirrelpaw pricked her ears, listening for the mewling of kits.

“Over there!” Onewhisker cried. He pointed with his nose to a clearing surrounded by fragile, pale-barked saplings. They raced over, Squirrelpaw scrabbling to get a grip on the slippery leaves.

“Hurry!” Tallstar hissed behind her. She felt Brambleclaw nudging her flank. As she struggled to find her footing, a crack sounded above them and a tree smashed down onto the forest floor only tail-lengths ahead, separating them from the others. Squirrelpaw gasped and shut her eyes.

“Are you okay?” Brambleclaw demanded.

Blinking, she opened her eyes and saw the tree lying in front of them. Tallstar was crouching over her, amber eyes alert for danger. A part of her mind was confused about why Tallstar was being protective of her, but the greater part of it was thinking; Had Leafpaw and the others escaped? She darted forward away from Tallstar and scrambled onto the newly fallen trunk with Brambleclaw beside her.

“They’re okay!” she yowled in relief. Rowanclaw and Leafpaw were standing in the clearing with Tallpoppy. Onewhisker was trying to round up her three kits, who were darting about in terror, their little tails stuck straight out behind them. Firestar was at the edge of the clearing, scanning the forest for the best escape route. Looking down, Squirrelpaw saw Tallstar squeezing through the branches of the fallen tree, give her a quick nod, and limping quickly over to join the ThunderClan leader.

Through the trees, Squirrelpaw could see monsters on all sides, munching steadily closer. Suddenly she heard a terrifyingly familiar creaking sound. 

“Look out!” she shrieked.

An ancient birch tree was toppling toward the clearing.

“Save the kits!” Squirrelpaw yowled to Firestar as the tree cast a shadow across his red pelt. Firestar and Tallstar took a few steps forward as Tallpoppy heard her and grabbed a kit; Rowanclaw picked up another, and, with Leafpaw and now Tallstar fast behind, they pelted out of the way. But Onewhisker was still diving for the final kit, and Squirrelpaw stared in horror as the tree hurtled toward him.

Her heart seemed to stop as the moment stretched into a lifetime. Firestar leaped forward and hurled himself against Onewhisker’s flank. Squirrelpaw just had time to see the WindClan warrior flung clear, the kit grasped safely between his jaws, before the tree hit the ground with a deafening crash.

“Firestar! No!” Squirrelpaw bounded down from the trunk and pelted over to the fallen tree. Brambleclaw kept pace with her, swerving away toward a brown tabby shape staggering at the edge of the branches.

“Got you!” he cried as he dragged the WindClan warrior and the kit out from where they were tangled in the branch tips.

Leafpaw was stumbling, dazed, from underneath a buckled sapling that had protected her when the tree fell. But there was no sign of Firestar. A Twoleg howled, and another splintering groan made the air tremble.

“Get out of here!” Brambleclaw screeched.

“I’m not leaving without Firestar,” Squirrelpaw cried.

“We’ll find him!” Brambleclaw promised. He looked at Onewhisker. “Get the others to the Thunderpath!”

The earth shuddered as another tree crashed down behind them.

“We’ll wait for you at the tunnel,” Onewhisker promised.

As the WindClan and ShadowClan cats fled, Squirrelpaw ran over to where Leafpaw was scrabbling beneath the branches.

“I can see him!” she cried, clawing desperately at the earth. Brambleclaw pushed past her, using his head to thrust aside the tangled splinters of wood. Squirrelpaw could see her father’s dark red pelt, slumped beneath a heavy branch. Brambleclaw stretched forward and grasped Firestar in his jaws. Trembling with effort, he dragged him out and laid him on the leaf-strewn earth.

A shaft of pale sunlight sliced into the clearing and lit up the ThunderClan’s fiery pelt. He lay still with his eyes closed. Leafpaw sniffed his pelt and let out a sigh of relief.

“He’s knocked-out,” Leafpaw whispered. “The tree’s branches must have hit him. But he’ll be alright.”

“Father!” Squirrelpaw yowled, shaking him with her forepaws. Around them, monsters shook the ground, their yellow eyes blazing between the trees.

“We’ve got to get him out of here!” Brambleclaw hissed.

“We can’t risk moving him,” Leafpaw warned.

Squirrelpaw pressed her belly against the earth, ears flat.

“I’m not leaving without him.”

An earsplitting crack exploded above them, and she screwed up her eyes as the forest suddenly went dark. Images flashed through her mind—Sandstorm, the old camp, the Tribe of Rushing Water, Feathertail. . . .  _ StarClan! Don’t let me die yet. After everything we’ve been through, I need to know that the Clan survives! _

“Squirrelpaw!” Brambleclaw’s call sounded muffled under the fallen branches that covered them. “Where are you?” Squirrelpaw opened her eyes and took a long, shaky breath. The fallen tree was lodged on the trunk of the other, forming a tiny cavern. Brambleclaw’s dark brown pelt was just visible through the twigs. She twitched her tail and flexed her paws one after the other. 

“I’m okay,” she called. Nothing was broken, but her pelt stung where branches had scraped against it.

“Brambleclaw, are you hurt?” With a grunt, she hauled herself toward him and stretched out her head to lick his flank.

“It’s all right; I’m fine,” Brambleclaw muttered, struggling to sit up. “Can you see your sister anywhere?”

Squirrelpaw strained her eyes in the gloom. “Leafpaw?”

“I’m over here,” came a voice. Squirrelpaw could make out her shape now. She was crouching over Firestar, protecting his body with her own.

“The kit . . . is it safe?”

When Squirrelpaw heard her father’s rasping mew, she wriggled upright, ducking her head under the branches until she could straighten her legs. She felt the blood pulsing though her paws, cold as ice. She forced her way through the twigs until her father’s breath wafted against her cheek. His eyes were glazed, but open, and he lifted his head. 

“Did Onewhisker rescue the kit?”

“Yes, they’re both safe.” Brambleclaw squeezed through the branches to Squirrelpaw’s side. Leafpaw nudged her father’s head back down.

“The tree’s branches hit you,” she meowed to him. “You’ve got a slight concussion.”

Squirrelpaw searched Leafpaw’s gaze. 

“Will Firestar be okay?”

“He’ll be fine,” Leafpaw replied. She pressed her nose against Squirrelpaw’s cheek. “He just needs to take it easy.”

Squirrelpaw felt her heart beating in her throat. 

“How can we get him out of here?”

“I can walk,” Firestar muttered, hauling himself unsteadily to his paws. He swayed slightly and Brambleclaw shot up to steady his leader with his shoulders.

Suddenly a Twoleg howled above them. It sounded so close that Squirrelpaw spun around with a snarl. She looked up. A shadow loomed over the branches that covered them.

“We must go now!” Brambleclaw hissed, pressed against Firestar and muscles tense.

The Twoleg was peering down through the tangle of twigs. Leafpaw flattened her belly against the ground, her eyes stretched wide in terror.

“I won’t let them catch you again!” Squirrelpaw promised. She glanced at Brambleclaw. “Can you get them out if I distract the Twoleg?”

Brambleclaw blinked. 

“I’m not sure that’s safe . . .” he began, eyes concerned. But he glanced at Firestar, who was unconsciously leaning against the dark tabby in an attempt to keep his balance.

“I’ll be okay,” Squirrelpaw insisted. “Come on; we don’t have much time.”

Without waiting, she struggled out from the branches. She could see the Twoleg’s hind legs in front of her. Giving a loud screech of fury she shot between them, raking the Twoleg’s pelt with her claws as she rushed past. She heard it howl and glanced back to see it lumbering after her, away from her Clanmates.

Squirrelpaw pelted over the splinter-strewn forest floor. Ahead a monster lifted its claws into the air to bring down another tree. Squirrelpaw dodged into a swath of brambles and looked back for her Clanmates.  _ StarClan, help them! _ Then she glimpsed her father’s red pelt weaving through the branches of the fallen tree, heading for the far side of the clearing. Brambleclaw ran beside him, keeping as close as Onewhisker had been to Tallstar, and Leafpaw’s brown tabby fur flashed behind. As they reached the open ground, where they could be seen more easily, Squirrelpaw tipped back her head and yowled. She heard the Twoleg run over and start kicking at the brambles, trying to flush her out.

Squirrelpaw crawled backward, ducking her head, and yowled again. She had to keep the Twoleg focused on her while the others escaped.

Peering out through the thorns, she saw Brambleclaw glance in her direction, but he kept going until they reached the safety of the standing trees. Squirrelpaw straightened up with relief. Wriggling around, she forced her way through the brambles and skirted the edge of the clearing until she reached the path that led to the tunnel. Firestar, Brambleclaw, and Leafpaw were hurrying toward her.

“You made it!” Leafpaw gasped.

“Keep going!” Brambleclaw hissed.

Squirrelpaw fell in beside them. Firestar staggered, his paws stumbling on the packed earth.

“Don’t stop now!” she urged, pressing against him. Brambleclaw flanked his other side, and between them they kept their leader on his paws as they hurried to the safety of the tunnel that led to ThunderClan territory. They had escaped the Twolegs this time—but how much longer would it be before the whole forest was lost to them forever?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Theme song: Timber; by Pitbull Feat. Ke$ha*
> 
> Trees: IT'S GOIN' DOWNNNN! I'm YELLING TIIIIMMMBEERRR!! YOU BETTER MOVE! YOU BETTER DANCE!!!
> 
> Cats: *Just trying to survive*


	14. Leafpaw Contemplates Her Father’s Lifespan

Leafpaw burst out of the tunnel that led under the Thunderpath. Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw followed, with Firestar stumbling between them. For a moment, the light was blinding, and Leafpaw screwed up her eyes. Then they adjusted to the cold daylight after the shadows in the tunnel, and she looked around at the ShadowClan cats lying exhausted on the narrow strip of grass beside the deserted Thunderpath.

Tallpoppy’s kits mewled as they huddled close to their mother. Littlecloud hurried from one cat to another, helpless without any of his supplies, and Blackstar stood staring at his Clan as if he couldn’t believe what was happening to them. His white pelt was stained with blood, and his black paws were pricked with bark and splinters.

Firestar’s voice croaked behind her. 

“Is everyone okay?”

“You should lie down,” Leafpaw urged him. “There are no monsters here.”

“We can’t stay in the open!” Brambleclaw objected.

“We have to rest before we go on,” Leafpaw insisted.

Tallstar limped toward her. 

“Is Firestar all right?” he asked hoarsely, noticing that the Thunderclan leader was slightly dazed.

“Yes,he got hit by the fallen trees’ branches, but he’ll be alright.” Leafpaw explained.

Tallstar closed his eyes and nodded, then opened them and glanced at the sky like he was remembering a promise he made.  **(If you have read Tallstar’s Revenge, and remember what I’m referring to here, kudos & a shout out to you)**

“I’m taking my warriors home,” Stonefur called from where the RiverClan cats had gathered at the edge of the grassy space.

“Will you help us get ShadowClan to Sunningrocks first?” Firestar asked, slowly raising his head to prevent a headrush.

“Sunningrocks?” Blackstar narrowed his eyes. “Why do you want to take us there?”

“It’s where ThunderClan lives now, and you’ll be safe from Twolegs there,” Firestar meowed. “Cinderpelt has herbs for your injured cats, and there’s room for you all to rest.”

_ And where else can ShadowClan go? _ Leafpaw thought grimly. There was hardly a place left in the forest that hadn’t been taken over by Twolegs.

“Okay,” Stonefur nodded. “We’ll go with you as far as Sunningrocks. But just because you’ve welcomed ShadowClan onto ThunderClan territory doesn’t mean they’re welcome in ours.”

“We’ll be patrolling the border!” Hawkfrost warned, his eyes cold as ice.

Squirrelpaw glared at him. 

“How can you worry about borders at a time like this? When will you realize what our journey meant, for all the Clans?” Frogspeck slid from the shadows and flicked his brother with his tail.

“She’s got a point you know,” he meowed quietly.

“ShadowClan will not cross the border,” Brambleclaw promised.

“Of course we won’t,” snapped Blackstar.

Brambleclaw turned to Leafpaw. 

“How long before we can leave?”

When Leafpaw hesitated, Firestar lifted his head. 

“I’m growing stronger,” he insisted. “We can go soon.”

“Littlecloud?” she called to the ShadowClan medicine cat. “Can everyone make it to Sunningrocks?”

“I think so, if we travel slowly,” the small tabby tom replied. Leafpaw looked up at the sky. The sun was a fiery ball, sinking toward the treetops. 

“We should try to get back before it’s dark,” she told Brambleclaw. “Before it’s too cold.”

“Okay,” Brambleclaw mewed. “We’ll rest long enough for everyone to catch their breath, then we’ll move on.”

Thin clouds drifted in front of the sinking sun as the cats trekked through the woods.

“Tallpoppy?” Leafpaw matched her pace to the limping ShadowClan queen’s. “Are your kits all right?”

Tallpoppy gazed at her three kits, carried now by Frogspeck, Shadecloud, and Rowanclaw, and nodded. “Just scratches,” she murmured.

“We can clean them and treat them with marigold when we get to Sunningrocks,” Leafpaw promised.

Stonefur padded close beside Tallstar, pressing against the WindClan leader’s flank whenever he stumbled. Brackenfur carried one of Tallpoppy’s kits, and Tornear followed the ShadowClan apprentices, nudging them gently forward whenever they slowed their step.

“It’s as if we don’t belong to different Clans anymore,” Leafpaw whispered, catching up with Squirrelpaw.

Her sister nodded. 

“This is what it was like on the journey to the sun-drown-place.”

But as the cats limped onto the sloping surface of Sunningrocks, the old rifts returned. ShadowClan climbed to the top of the rock, while RiverClan halted beside the trees. Shadecloud placed the kit beside Tallpoppy, gave a friendly nod to Frogspeck, and rejoined the ThunderClan cats as they padded slowly up the slope. Tallstar lay down close to the base of the rock, too tired to climb any farther. Onewhisker, Tornear, and Crowpaw gathered around him.

“How did it go?” Whitepaw rushed over to Brightheart and pressed her nose into her flank. She drew back quickly. “You’re bleeding!”

“Just some scratches,” Brightheart reassured her.

“You’re alive!” Cody hurried down from the overhang, with Birchkit and Larchkit stumbling after her. She pressed her muzzle against Leafpaw’s. Ferncloud appeared at the lip of the nursery and stared in bewilderment at the cats crowding onto the rock. 

“What happened?”

“Everyone’s safe.” Brambleclaw shouldered his way to the front of the patrol. “That’s the main thing.”

“Thank StarClan.” The ThunderClan queen sighed.

Cinderpelt clambered out of her hollow. 

“Where’s Firestar?”

“I’m here,” Firestar croaked, weaving his way to the front. Leafpaw followed him closely, aware that he was still shaking. His head injury must be putting him into some slight shock.

“Firestar got hit by a tree branch,” she murmured before Cinderpelt could say anything. “He got knocked-out.”

“What about the ShadowClan camp?” Frostfur demanded. “Did you save it?”

“We cannot fight the monsters,” Firestar meowed bleakly. “We could do nothing except help ShadowClan escape before their camp was destroyed.”

“They destroyed the camp?” Frostfur gasped.

“There’s nothing left but fallen trees,” Blackstar growled. “We have no home.”

“You’ll be safe here for now,” Firestar told the ShadowClan leader.

Blackstar’s eyes glimmered with relief for a moment. Then he turned to his medicine cat. 

“Littlecloud,” he meowed. “Do what you can to help your Clanmates.”

The small tabby tom began to pace quickly around the ShadowClan cats. He leaned down and sniffed Tallpoppy, then began to lick her flank. “There are many splinters here,” he mewed, lifting his head.

“Tallstar has a gash on his hind leg,” Onewhisker added. Cinderpelt looked at the bloodstained pelts around her.

“Fetch everything we have,” she told Leafpaw. “We just have to hope it will be enough.” 

Needlepaw slid from her clanmates and scanned the rocks. Her ears pricked and she bounded over to a dark red tom and an orange tabby she-cat.

“Alderpaw! Sparkpaw!” she yowled. She crashed into them and the three cats all began purring, glad to see each other again.

“Is this kittypet a medicine cat?” Blackstar growl snapped the three’s attention over to him

“It’s okay,” Leafpaw called out. “She knows what she’s doing.” a tabby was soothing each Shadowclan kit with a reassuring lick, then encouraged Birchkit and a brown tabby she-kit to distract them while she searched their fur for cuts and splinters.

“Who’s that?” Needlepaw asked.

“That’s Cody,” Alderpaw meowed. “She was caught by the Twolegs as well, and she’s staying here until we can escort her home.” Needlepaw flicked her ears up.

“About that, are you alright?” she asked. Alderpaw sighed.

“Yes, I’m fine. Jayfeather dragged me into the medicine den after I came back and proceeded to do a forcible check-up.” Sparkpaw snorted.

“It was funny,” she meowed. “Whenever Alderpaw tried to protest, Jayfeather cut him off with more ramblings.” Needlepaw’s whiskers twitched.

“I wish I had been here to see that!”

Leafpaw worked on one cat after another till her paws ached with tiredness. As the moon began to brighten in the sky, she glanced up the slope toward her father. 

“Cody, can you take over here?” she asked. “There are only one or two apprentices left, and I want to see how Firestar is.”

“Of course. You go right ahead.”

Firestar was lying beside Sandstorm, washing dried blood from between his claws. 

“How are you?” Leafpaw whispered, touching her muzzle to his.

“I’m fine,” he purred, his eyes soft and clear.

“Are you sure?” She searched his face. Firestar had been lucky to only get a head injury. If the tree had fallen any closer...he would have been crushed. And would have lost a life. Leafpaw gazed curiously at her father. “Firestar?” she began hesitantly. He stopped washing and looked at her.

“Yes?”

“I...I was wondering,” she meowed. “Just how many lives you have left.” he must have seen the worry in his eyes, for he gently licked her around the ears.

“You don’t have to worry about me leaving anytime soon. Not for a while at least.” He paused. “But if it makes you feel better…” he paused once more, like he was considering something. “I have eight lives left.” Leafpaw nodded, but couldn’t ignore the feeling that while Firestar was telling the truth, he was also  _ not _ telling the truth. She knew that he had lost a life in the battle with Bloodclan, to their blood-thirsty leader Brick, but where else could he have lost a life if he did?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Squirrelpaw: *Is in danger*
> 
> Tallstar: *Chickens her*
> 
> Squirrelpaw: wtf?
> 
> Firestar: I have eight lives.
> 
> Leafpaw: Okay, sounds fake. But okay.
> 
> Also, random meme:
> 
> Pinestar: I'm Jake's best friend.
> 
> Tallstar: Okay, sounds fake. But okay. *Whispers* I'm his boyfriend!!!


	15. Snark-Pro: Jayfeather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four chapter today. Be a while before I post the last three.

Cold rain woke Alderpaw, spattering on his fur, and he opened his eyes to a watery, gray dawn. He stretched and shook the raindrops from his pelt. His movement awoke Jayfeather.

“What a day for a journey!” the gray tabby muttered, hauling himself to his paws. They left their sodden nest and padded to the bottom of Sunningrocks, where the two Clans were beginning to gather.

“It’s going to be very wet underpaw.” Ashfur’s worried mew rose from the ThunderClan warriors and apprentices. 

“You don’t say?” Jayfeather muttered. Alderpaw twitched his whiskers. Jayfeather clearly still had a grudge against the gray warrior, and Alderpaw didn’t blame him.  _ If someone tried to kill me and Sparkpaw to get back at someone, I’ll probably hold a grudge as well! _

The other cats looked anxiously at Brambleclaw, and Alderpaw knew it was not just the rain that was making their pelts bristle. The whole Clan was nervous about the journey ahead.

“Mud or no mud, we will leave as soon as RiverClan comes,” Firestar insisted. “Can’t you hear the Twoleg monsters?”

Alderpaw listened, and sure enough, through the drumming of the rain, he heard monsters rumbling behind the trees. He had never heard them this close to Sunningrocks before, and the thought of them bearing down on their final refuge filled him with alarm.

“I want all warriors and apprentices to catch whatever they can before the journey,” Firestar meowed. “We’ll share whatever we find with ShadowClan.”

“ShadowClan will organize its own hunting patrols!” Blackstar called across the rock.

Alderpaw saw his grandfather’s face darken for a moment. 

“Very well. Our warriors will show you the best places to hunt.”

“We can find our own prey,” Blackstar growled.

Firestar curled his lip but said nothing. Instead he turned to Brambleclaw. The young warrior’s tail was twitching, and he kneaded the ground impatiently. 

“I want you to organize two hunting patrols, Brambleclaw, but don’t let any cat go near the Twolegs.”

“It sounds as if he’s talking to Graystripe!” Alderpaw heard Mousefur hissed in Leafpaw’s ear. “Why doesn’t he just name Brambleclaw deputy and be done with it?”

“Because that would be like admitting Graystripe is dead,” Dustpelt growled back, overhearing.  **(You tell ‘em Dusty!)** Lionblaze joined his brother and Alderpaw.

“You got to admit though,” the golden tom meowed. “It’s rather deja-vuy hearing Firestar tell Brambleclaw to organize hunting patrols. Haven’t heard that happen for a long time.” Jayfeather nodded in agreement.

Firestar flicked the rain from his whiskers and turned to Cinderpelt. 

“Prepare traveling herbs for everyone,” he ordered. “Will you have enough?”

“Oh, yes,” Cinderpelt answered. “I just hope that wherever we’re going has the plants I need to replenish my stocks.” Jayfeather flicked his tail.

“It does.” he called. “Plenty of herbs for all the clans.” Cinderpelt flicked her ear.

“Thank Starclan!” she meowed. “I don’t know what I’d do if we didn’t have any herbs!”

Brambleclaw led a hunting patrol into the dripping woods, and Mousefur followed with another. Blackstar watched them disappear into the forest before muttering something to his deputy, Russetfur; a moment later the dark ginger she- cat, her pelt plastered against her thin body, headed down the slope with several ShadowClan warriors.

Cinderpelt shook her head. 

“ShadowClan should have joined the ThunderClan patrols,” she murmured. “They’ll have no idea of the best places to hunt, and with prey so scarce they’ll need all the help they can get.”

“Why is Blackstar being so stubborn?” Leafpaw mewed.

“ShadowClan has always been proud.” Cinderpelt started to take supplies out of the cleft in the rock. “Now that they’ve been driven out of their home, pride is all they have left.”

“But surely it would be wiser to combine our strengths?” Leafpaw protested. “We have a long, difficult journey ahead.”

“The boundaries between the Clans run deep,” Cinderpelt reminded her. “Traditions are all we have to cling to.”

“Then you agree with Blackstar?” Leafpaw asked in disbelief.

“Of course not, but I understand him,” Cinderpelt replied. “Although it is frustrating,” she added. “I offered to check on their injured cats when I awoke, but Blackstar sent me away. He told me that ThunderClan had done enough for ShadowClan yesterday, and he didn’t intend to make his Clan’s debt any greater than it was.”

“How can he talk about debts?” Leafpaw exclaimed. Jayfeather walked past.

“That’s what I ask, but does anyone listen? Nope!” his tail twitched as he left. The two she-cats stared after him. Cinderpelt shook her head and continued.

“Yesterday the four Clans faced the Twolegs together, and we were all as powerless as StarClan to stop them.”

“I know,” the medicine cat mewed. “But we’re not powerless to find a new future for ourselves, so let’s get on with mixing the traveling herbs. Every journey begins with a single pawstep, and this one is up to us.”

As the rain fell steadily, they began to combine the bitter herbs that would give the cats strength for the journey. Half-starved for so long, they needed this ancient mixture, handed down from medicine cat to apprentice for countless moons, more than ever before.

When the pile of herbs was complete, Leafpaw remembered she had not told her father about Cody. 

“Can you spare me for a while?” she asked.

“There’s nothing more we can do here,” Cinderpelt assured her. “I’ll check on Ferncloud.” She glanced at the nursery hollow. Ferncloud was sitting on the edge of the hollow, washing Larchkit. The kit struggled resentfully—looking as normal as any kit ever had—as his mother rasped his ears with her rough tongue. Birchkit was laying beside his sister, his washing already done. The sight gave Leafpaw a rush of hope. She imagined the kits growing up and training to become warriors in their new home, and a profound belief that ThunderClan would survive washed over her like sunshine. She quickly covered the traveling herbs with leaves to protect them from the rain and hurried up the slope toward her father.

He was staring across the treetops that stretched beyond Sunningrocks. He sat up straight, despite the pounding rain, with his tail curled over his paws and his ears pricked, scenting the air almost as though he welcomed the prospect of the journey ahead. It was hard to believe he had lost a life only yesterday.

When he heard Leafpaw calling him he turned his head.

“Yes?”

“I thought I should let you know Cody went back to her Twolegs last night.”

Firestar nodded.

“I had begun to hope she’d stay,” Leafpaw confessed.

“Now is no time for a stranger to join the Clan,” Firestar pointed out gently.

“But she was great with Larchkit and Birchkit!”

“That doesn’t make her a Clan cat,” he argued. “All the time she was with us, the scents of the forest never drew her from the safety of the camp. She fled here from the wooden nest because that danger was greater than the thought of living with us. I know what kittypets think of the cats who live in the forest. She’ll be happier with her housefolk.”

Leafpaw was surprised to hear her father use a kittypet word, and wondered if he was thinking of his early days with the Twolegs. Cody had not had time to talk with him about Smudge. Was he thinking of that kittypet friend now?

“You’ll miss her, won’t you?” he meowed unexpectedly.

“Yes, I will,” Leafpaw admitted. “She was a good friend. But she knows we have to go away.” She stared down into the forest. “Cody mentioned someone named Smudge,” she meowed. Firestar blinked, surprise lighting his eyes. She tilted his head. “Do you know him?”

“Yes, I do.” he meowed. “He lived in the nest next to me, before I joined Thunderclan.” He licked his paw before running it over his head. “He’s nice, a little lazy at times, and he’s dead-terrified of the forest,” his voice took on an amused edge. “He was a good friend, but it was rare for us to cross paths once I left.” Leafpaw nuzzled her father.

“We’re leaving so many familiar things behind,” she murmured. Her father’s eyes clouded with sorrow. 

“Yes. Like Graystripe.”

Leafpaw couldn’t think of anything to say that would comfort him. However much he wanted to believe that his deputy was still alive, it was still almost impossible that Graystripe could find his way back to them.

“I know we must go,” Firestar went on. “I want to leave as much as any cat, but I can’t bear the thought that I might never see him again.”

“You don’t know that for sure,” Leafpaw mewed hopefully. “Cody told me she’d look out for him and tell him where we’ve gone.”

A glimmer of hope sparked in Firestar’s eye, then disappeared. 

“How will he escape the Twolegs?” he asked bleakly. “And then find our new home . . . ?”

“Are you going to name a new deputy?” she ventured.

“No!” Her father leaped up, and Leafpaw shrank back. “There’s no need, not yet,” he went on quietly. “If there is even the smallest chance he’s alive, then Graystripe is still ThunderClan’s deputy.”

Before Leafpaw could say anything, mews sounded from behind them. The ThunderClan hunting patrols had returned and were carrying fresh-kill up the rock—birds and mice, not many, but enough to allow each cat a small meal. ShadowClan’s hunting patrol returned shortly after. They had found only one thrush between them.

“Will you share our catch with them?” Leafpaw mewed to her father.

“Blackstar would be insulted by the offer,” Firestar replied.

“I suppose they can hunt while we travel,” Leafpaw suggested.

“Hopefully we all can. There must be more prey out there than here.” Firestar shook himself. “Go and get something to eat,” he ordered. “RiverClan will be here soon.”

“Okay.” Leafpaw hurried down to where Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw were sharing a chaffinch. They looked drenched, their pelts dark and sodden.

“Want some?” Squirrelpaw offered.

“Yes, please.” Leafpaw’s belly felt hollow, and the scent of fresh-kill made her mouth water. Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw sat back and let her take a bite. Snowflight trotted over with a vole in his jaws, Tawnypelt padding behind him. The two plopped down beside the three cats and shared their catch. Leafpaw noticed that Snowflight and Tawnypelt were sitting a little closer than normal, their pelts brushing. Leafpaw looked at Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw, curious, and Brambleclaw flicked his ears to the two, silently saying;  _ Yes, we’ve noticed too. _

“Leafpaw!” Cinderpelt was calling from the den. “Come and help me!” Leafpaw bounded up the slope. “Will you take these herbs to the queen and the elders?”

“What about Larchkit and Birchkit?”

“Just give them half a dose.”

Leafpaw glanced warily at Blackstar. 

“Are we sharing with ShadowClan?”

“We’ll have some left over,” Cinderpelt mewed, her eyes glittering. “I’ll offer them to Littlecloud and tell him we have no need for them. Blackstar can take them or leave them as he wants.”

Leafpaw admired her mentor’s kindheartedness as well as her craftiness; this was an offer Blackstar could accept without losing face. She picked up a bundle of herbs and carried it to Ferncloud. The she-cat accepted the bitter herbs gratefully, though Birchkit was not so thankful.

“It tastes like crow-food!” he complained. Larchkit agreed.

“It’s the worst!”

“You’ve never eaten crow-food,” Ferncloud pointed out. “Now just swallow it.”

Leafpaw purred with amusement and carried her bundle to where the elders lay, sheltered by the overhang.

As she put the herbs down, Frostfur shook her head. 

“Don’t waste those on us,” she murmured. “We’re not going with the Clan.”

Leafpaw blinked. 

“Not going! Why?”

Firestar trotted over. 

“What’s the matter?”

“Frostfur says they aren’t coming with us!”

“We’re too old to make such a journey,” Speckletail rasped. “We’d only hold you back.”

Longtail flicked his tail. 

“And what use would I be? I can’t even see where I’m putting my paws!”

“The Clan would help you,” Firestar assured him gently. He looked up at the elderly she-cats. “Just as they would help all of you.”

“We know they would,” Frostfur mewed. “But Speckletail and I are too old for so much change. We’d rather die here beneath Silverpelt, knowing StarClan waits for us.”

Leafpaw flinched. Surely StarClan would go wherever they did?

Firestar nodded gravely. 

“I cannot force you to come with us, Frostfur,” he murmured. “I know your paws are weary, Speckletail’s too, and you already hear StarClan whispering to you. But Longtail, I won’t leave you behind.” When the tabby warrior opened his mouth to argue, Firestar went on, “Yesterday you heard the WindClan cats coming before any other cat. You may have lost your eyes, but your ears and your sense of smell are as good as any warrior’s. Please come with us.”

Longtail closed his sightless eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. Then he opened them again, and turned his face toward Firestar as if he were looking straight at him.

“Thank you,” he meowed. “I will come.” Whitestorm stood up.

“We will come as well.” he meowed. Brindleface and Willowpelt nodded. Stormfur bounded up the rocks. 

“Firestar! There is a problem. RiverClan cannot leave today.”

Firestar’s ears twitched with alarm. 

“Why not?”

“Mudfur is dying. We can’t leave him alone.”

Frostfur stepped forward. 

“We’ll stay with him.”

“We can look after him until StarClan is ready to take him,” Speckletail agreed.

Stormfur looked them in surprise. 

“But he is not one of your Clan.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Frostfur told him. “We are staying behind anyway. We might as well do what we can for Mudfur.”

“The RiverClan camp is a lot more sheltered than this place,” Leafpaw mewed. “You will be safe from Twolegs if you keep within the reeds.”

“That’s true,” meowed Firestar. “We’ll bring Frostfur and Speckletail to the RiverClan camp, and if Leopardstar agrees, we’ll leave them with Mudfur while RiverClan joins us on our journey.”

“What’s happening?” Blackstar had approached the group.

“Mudfur is dying,” Firestar explained. “We must go to the RiverClan camp before we travel to WindClan’s territory.”

Blackstar curled his lip. 

“We’ll go ahead and wait for you at the edge of the forest.”

A croaking voice sounded behind him, and Leafpaw recognized Runningnose’s gray pelt. 

“I would like to say goodbye to Mudfur,” mewed the elderly cat. “I’ve known him since I was an apprentice.”

Blackstar looked at the old tom, and for the first time Leafpaw saw respect in his eyes. 

“Of course, Runningnose,” he meowed. “You go with ThunderClan. We’ll see you again at the edge of the forest.”

Firestar scanned the rock. 

“Has everyone had traveling herbs?”

“Yes,” Cinderpelt replied. “In fact, there are some left. ShadowClan may as well have them. It’s not worth carrying them with us.” Her casual tone gave nothing away.

Leafpaw glanced at Littlecloud, whose tail twitched with

excitement. 

“May we use them, Blackstar?” pleaded the young medicine cat.

“No point letting them go to waste,” Blackstar growled, and Littlecloud began handing out the bundles at once. The ShadowClan leader looked at Longtail, narrowing his eyes. Leafpaw braced herself, expecting him to say that they couldn’t take a blind cat on such a long and dangerous journey.

But Blackstar only meowed, 

“The blind warrior can travel with us while you go to RiverClan. There’s no point taking him across the river and back again. I have warriors who can lead him through the forest.”

Firestar blinked gratefully at the ShadowClan leader.

“Thank you.” He touched Longtail with the tip of his tail. “Is that all right with you?”

Longtail nodded, and followed Blackstar down the slope to the waiting ShadowClan cats.

“Is every cat ready?” Firestar called to his own Clan.

Mews of assent sounded from across the rock, and the cats fell in behind Firestar as he led them down to the shore. The river was hardly more than a trickle, in spite of the ceaseless rain.

“Cinderpelt, Leafpaw, come with me,” Firestar ordered, halting beside the river. Runningnose, Frostfur, and Speckletail were already clambering after Stormfur, over the stepping stones. “The rest of the Clan should wait here until we return.” He nodded at Brambleclaw, putting him in charge, and followed the elders across the river.

The reeds around the RiverClan camp were brown and brittle, their roots exposed. Leafpaw followed her father into the clearing and flinched as several cats spun around to look at the visitors with hostile surprise.

Leopardstar stood in the entrance to the medicine cats’ den, her eyes blazing. 

“What are you doing here? Didn’t Stormfur give you my message?”

“I did,” Stormfur meowed, hurrying to the center of the clearing. “But Firestar has come to suggest something.”

“Frostfur and Speckletail are staying behind,” Firestar explained. “They have offered to care for Mudfur.”

Leopardstar dipped her head. 

“That’s kind of them,” she meowed. “But it won’t be necessary. Mudfur is nearly with StarClan.”

Leafpaw jumped out of the way as Runningnose wheezed in shock and staggered toward the medicine clearing. Cinderpelt followed, and Leafpaw padded quickly after them, glancing at the RiverClan leader as she went past. But Leopardstar let them go without a word.

Mothwing looked up as they entered the clearing. Her eyes were clouded with grief. 

“There’s nothing more any cat can do,” she told Cinderpelt. “He’s not in pain. I’ve made sure of that.”

Mudfur lay in the middle of the clearing. Rain dripped through the branches onto his matted flank, but he made no attempt to move into a more sheltered spot. Shadepelt, an elderly RiverClan she-cat, sat beside Mothwing, sadly watching the dying cat.

Runningnose padded forward and touched his nose to Mudfur’s shoulder. 

“Go swiftly to StarClan, my friend. We will look after your Clanmates.”

Cinderpelt leaned down and rested her muzzle on Mudfur’s pelt. As Leafpaw crouched to bury her nose in his fur, her throat filled with the unmistakable scent of death.

Forcing herself not to draw away, she closed her eyes.  _ At least you can be sure StarClan is waiting for you, _ she thought.

With a shuddering gasp, Mudfur drew his last desperate breath; his flank heaved once, then fell still forever as his spirit joined his warrior ancestors.

“He is with StarClan now,” Mothwing murmured.

Leafpaw blinked sadly at the unmoving heap of fur. This was one cat who would never see their new home, wherever it lay. How many more cats would not make it to the end of their journey?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jayfeather: *Snark here*
> 
> Jayfeather: *Snark there*
> 
> Jayfeather: *Snark EVERYWHERE*


	16. Frogspeck, Hawkfrost, and Mothwing Ditch The Rogue Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second! Sasha & Kits time!

The trek through the forest was hard going, the rain making the leaves slippery underpaw. The RiverClan cats stayed together, keeping up with ThunderClan but traveling separately. Sorreltail fell into step beside Leafpaw and nudged her up each time she stumbled. As they neared the edge of the forest, where there was a narrow strip of RiverClan territory before the moorland began, Leafpaw scented ShadowClan cats. She lifted her head and saw them huddled under the trees, wet and shivering.

“We thought you’d never get here,” Blackstar complained, shaking the water from his coat.

The ShadowClan cats paced impatiently around him. They were not comfortable under the trees that had once belonged to ThunderClan. But Leafpaw longed to linger here, suddenly unable to bear the thought of saying good-bye to the forest for the last time.

Firestar gazed at his Clan. 

“We must say good-bye to all we have known,” he meowed.

Leafpaw felt Sorreltail’s pelt pressing against hers, and she noticed Squirrelpaw draw closer to Brambleclaw.

“I want to go home!” one of Tallpoppy’s kits mewled up at her mother with her eyes stretched wide.  **(Applefur!)**

“We are going home,” Tallpoppy promised, her ears twitching. “Our new home.”

As she spoke, a tawny-colored cat emerged from the trees a little way off. Even though the rain masked her scent, Leafpaw recognized the stranger at once. It was Sasha.

Mothwing recognized her too, because she bounded over and rolled on her belly like a kit. Hawkfrost padded after his sister more slowly, the tip of his tail flicking from side to side. Frogspeck, tail raised, trotted over and pressed his muzzle to his mother’s.

The RiverClan cats watched them go with patient acceptance, but Leafpaw saw bewilderment in the eyes of the ThunderClan cats who did not know who Sasha was, and open hostility from the ShadowClan cats.

“What’s she doing here?” Squirrelpaw whispered.

“Perhaps she knows we’re leaving,” Leafpaw guessed.

“But why did she come?”

Sasha finished greeting her kits and padded toward the watching cats. Ashfur hissed threateningly, but Firestar silenced him with a look.  **(Yess! Shut him up!)**

“I didn’t think we’d see you again,” Leopardstar meowed, dipping her head to Sasha.

“Nor I you,” Sasha admitted. “I have come to ask Frogspeck, Hawkfrost ,and Mothwing to leave RiverClan and come with me. I’ve seen what the Twolegs are doing to your homes. It is no longer safe for them to stay with you.”

Mothwing looked down at her paws and Leafpaw’s heart skipped a beat. Could she really be thinking about leaving? She brushed past Sasha and faced the RiverClan medicine cat. 

“I know things have been tough lately, but you wouldn’t really go, would you?”

Mothwing blinked. 

“I-I don’t know. . . .”

“Your Clan needs you,” Leafpaw protested. She rounded on Frogspeck and Hawkfrost. “You wouldn’t abandon your Clanmates, would you?”

“The decision is theirs.” Firestar’s voice rose above the sound of the falling rain. “But I agree they should remain with their Clan.”

Sasha narrowed her eyes. 

“You want them to stay?” Suddenly the wind dropped, and every cat seemed to hold their breath as she went on, “In spite of the fact that Tigerstar was their father?”

Leafpaw scanned the shocked faces of the RiverClan cats. They obviously didn’t know that Tigerstar was Frogspeck, Hawkfrost, and Mothwing’s father, even though his kits had been raised in their Clan.

There was a long pause while Firestar held Sasha’s gaze. 

“I want them to stay  _ because _ Tigerstar was their father,” he meowed. “Tigerstar was a great warrior, and these cats have proved they have inherited his courage,” Firestar went on. “Their Clan needs them now more than ever.” He turned his gaze on Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt. “Tigerstar’s children have earned their place in their Clans many times over.”

There were no secrets now. Every cat knew that Tigerstar lived on in five cats, and that two Clans nurtured part of his legacy. Mothwing lifted her gaze, searching the faces of her Clanmates. Hawkfrost raised his chin as if he didn’t care what they thought. Frogspeck’s eyes flicked around uneasily, then rested on Shadecloud, who was sitting beside her littermates. The gray she-cat shook her head slightly, and Frogspeck looked relieved.

Leopardstar nodded. 

“Firestar is right. RiverClan needs all our warriors, and we certainly need our medicine cat.”

“But they’re Tigerstar’s kits!” Dawnflower’s hiss startled Leafpaw. The RiverClan queen was staring at Leopardstar as if she’d just invited a fox to join them.

Squirrelpaw’s eyes blazed. 

“So what? That doesn’t mean they can’t be loyal!”

“Hawkfrost and Frogspeck are two of our best warriors,” Stormfur added.

He looked around at his Clanmates. “Have any of you ever doubted their loyalty?”

“Never,” Mistyfoot murmured. Stonefur flicked his ear in agreement.

Leopardstar looked at Frogspeck, Hawkfrost, and Mothwing. 

“Will you stay?”

“Of course,” Hawkfrost answered at once. “I would never desert my Clan.” He was staring at his Clanmates, his eyes glittering defiantly.

Leafpaw felt her tail quiver. Was it ambition or loyalty that fueled his decision? She glanced at Brambleclaw. How could two warriors with the same father be so different?

Mothwing glanced at her mother, her ears twitching. 

“I have to stay with my Clan too,” she mewed. “I’m their medicine cat now. They need me.”

“I’m staying as well,” Frogspeck meowed. “I’ve got a lot of friends here, and I don’t think I would be able to leave them.” he cast a furtive look at Shadecloud.

Sasha nodded. 

“Very well.” She swept her gaze over them. “Firestar is right,” she murmured. “I see your father in both of you.”

Leafpaw heard a low growl come from Dawnflower.

Sasha turned to the RiverClan queen. 

“Tigerstar never knew about these kits, but he would have been proud of them.” She glanced around the RiverClan cats. “You’re lucky to have them.”

She padded back to Frogspeck, Hawkfrost, and Mothwing, brushing her pelt against theirs. 

“I wish you well on your journey,” she meowed. Then she turned and padded into the forest. The ferns quivered where she had disappeared, and the Clan cats stared after her in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sasha: Come with me?
> 
> Hawkfrost:....no. I have ambitious- I mean future plans.
> 
> Mothwing: I'm kinda their only medicine cat now....sorry....
> 
> Frogspeck: HECK YA, IMMA STAY WITH MA BUDDIES! (No offence mama)


	17. Lionblaze, Cinderheart, and Dovewing Beat Up A Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get some Needle and Frog in this one!

“Look!” Rainwhisker yowled, making the cats jump. At the top of the rise that marked the beginning of WindClan territory, silhouetted against the gray sky, stood WindClan. They lined the crest of the hill like stones, waiting.

“Let’s go,” Blackstar ordered.

He plunged out of the shelter of the trees and hurried up the muddy slope, followed by his Clanmates. Sparkpaw stared sadly at the forest, sinking her claws into the now-familiar rain-softened earth as she pressed against Alderpaw, who was also staring at the trees. All the RiverClan and ThunderClan cats lingered at the edge of the trees, as though leaving was harder than they had ever imagined.

“This is no longer our home,” Firestar reminded them gently. “Home is waiting for us at the end of our journey.” He began to pad away, lowering his head against the driving rain.

Sparkpaw, tail curled with Alderpaw’s, joined the other cats as they poured slowly out of the forest after him. Beside her, Dovewing arched her back against the bracken fronds, brushing her scent on their dripping tips one last time.

“We thought you’d changed your mind,” Mudclaw growled as the three Clans neared the top of the slope.

“Mudfur was dying,” Leopardstar explained. “We waited until he had gone to join StarClan.”

Tallstar sat shivering beside his warriors. His ribs stuck out like gnarled twigs. As the Clans reached the top of the rise, he stood up, wincing at the stiffness in his limbs. 

“I’m sorry to hear about Mudfur,” he meowed. “I remember when he lent some rare herbs to Barkface to treat,” he glanced at Deadfoot. “A sick kit we had. He will be missed.” Leopardstar dipped her head in thanks for the praise of her now-former medicine cat.

“At least he died beneath Silverpelt, which is more than we will,” muttered Blackstar.

“We saw Silverpelt at the sun-drown-place,” Squirrelpaw objected. “StarClan will be waiting for us when we arrive.”

Mudclaw’s tail twitched. 

“You saw stars, but were they our warrior ancestors or someone else’s?” Jayfeather rolled his eyes.

“Starclan will be there. They’re making a journey just as we are doing.”

Blackstar clawed the muddy ground. 

“Are we going or not?”

“We’re ready,” Tallstar replied.

The moorland that stretched ahead of them was unrecognizable, all the grass swept away to reveal bare, rutted earth. Leopardstar stared across the broken ground. 

“Are there many monsters?”

“Too many,” Tallstar growled.

As the cats scrambled over the first stretch of exposed ground, Sparkpaw soon began to struggle. The mud sucked at her paws, and her legs felt stone-heavy with exhaustion. Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw were a little ways behind her and Alderpaw, while Lionblaze and Cinderheart were plowing through the mud with little problem. Jayfeather was hissing every time he got stuck, and snapped at anyone who tried to help. Dovewing, however, was the only one who didn’t back away from the cranky medicine cat, and loyally stayed by him and helped him out even when he hissed insults under his breath. A Shadowclan apprentice, Smokepaw, quietly asked Dovewing why she kept helping him even after the gray tabby muttered insults. Dovewing just twitched her whiskers.

“Jayfeather doesn’t really mean what he says, he’s just snapping at everyone because he wants to.” She then said; “Plus, he doesn’t want anyone’s help. He can be a bit too proud at times.”

Needlepaw trudged through the mud before stopping with the rest of Shadowclan. Thunderclan crept forward, and as soon as the monsters rumbled past, Firestar gave the command to run. The ThunderClan cats rushed forward, pounding toward the rocky outcrop and scrambling over it to safety. Windclan followed, with Crowpaw reached the rock and held up the kit for Onewhisker to take before scrambling after it. Needlepaw froze as she heard a Twoleg shouting and turned to see it running unsteadily across the mud, waving its arms. It had seen the cats still heading for the rocks. Riverclan and Shadowclan were now running for the rocks. Rowanclaw was among them, trying to drag a RiverClan apprentice out of the mud.  _ Mouse-dung!  _ Needlepaw thought as she rushed around, trying to help.  _ Leopardstar and Blackstar must have given the order to run late! _

The monsters were turning now, steering their paws toward the straggling cats.  _ Starclan, help me! _ Needlepaw bounded forward and shoved another Riverclan apprentice forward, and noticed Squirrelpaw leap down back into the mud, Firestar speeding past her. Brambleclaw, too, had dropped down to help. Crowpaw was pelting toward the Riverclan cats, where Needlepaw was at, Squirrelpaw just steps behind him. The dark red she-cat reached Needlepaw and helped get the apprentice, who was desperately trying to free himself from the mud, out and running. 

“My kit!” Dawnflower’s screech made Needlepaw spin around. One kit lay at the RiverClan queen’s paws. Another was racing panic-stricken straight toward a monster, too scared to see where he was going. A black blur flashed past the queen and, without pausing, raced toward the kit, picked it up by the scruff, and skidded back around to the clan cats. It was Frogspeck. The Riverclan tom followed after Dawnflower and Squirrelpaw, running toward the outcrop with the other kit. Only Needlepaw, Lionblaze, and Cinderheart were left, and the tree of them hurtled themselves toward the outcrop, flying over the rocks into its safety.

“Needlepaw!” Alderpaw came pelting over. “Are you okay?” Needlepaw, too breathless to respond, just nodded her head. Alderpaw gave her a quick check, then nodded. She rolled her eyes half-heartedly and gave him a friendly shove.

“Of course I’m fine,” one of the kits, a dark gray female, squeaked loudly. “That monster was never going to catch us.”

“Hush, Willowkit,” soothed Dawnflower. Needlepaw and Alderpaw, simultaneously, turned and looked at Jayfeather. The gray tom was staring at Willowkit, blind blue eyes wide. His expression said;  _ No! Not her!  _ Alderpaw and Needlepaw glanced at each other, then started laughing. As the two cats came to, the ShadowClan cats emerged from the gully.

“Is every cat with you?” Firestar called to Blackstar. Blackstar nodded, too breathless to speak. The Clans rested on the rocks for a moment, but another swath of churned-up moorland still lay between them and the grassy slope that led down to the meadows, and the Twolegs would be looking out for them by now. It wasn’t safe to linger too long near the monsters.

“We should stay closer together,” Firestar suggested. “Travel like a single Clan.”

“And who will give the orders?” Leopardstar demanded. “You?” Needlepaw rolled her eyes at Leopardstar one-mindedness.

Firestar shook his head. 

“That’s not important. I only meant it would be less dangerous if we were to stick together.”

“You have no idea where we’re going,” Blackstar argued. “We have to trust the cats who’ve made this journey already, and each Clan has one of those. We can travel separately.”

“But you fell behind just now,” Firestar pointed out. “RiverClan, too. We must stick closer together, at least while we’re near the Twolegs.” Needlepaw jerked her head toward Firestar, like  _ he’s right ya know. _

Blackstar narrowed his eyes. 

“Closer together, yes,” he conceded. “But each Clan should follow its own leader’s orders.”

“Are we ready?” Firestar yowled.

Slowly the cats gathered on the brink of the rocks, huddling close to their Clanmates. Only Brambleclaw, Crowpaw, Squirrelpaw, Stormfur, and Rowanclaw slipped away from their Clans to take up positions at the edge of the group. Blackstar gave the order to move first, but Leopardstar, Firestar, and Deadfoot quickly followed, and the cats began to leap down from the reassuringly hard surface of the outcrop and back into the slippery mud.

They crept toward the monsters that guarded the edge of WindClan’s territory, keeping low and quiet. As the Clans neared the monsters they slowed down, crouching so low that Needlepaw felt she had almost turned into a lump of mud. At least with the cats this filthy, they blended into the earth around them. The monsters were far away to one side and showed no sign of straying back here yet.

“There’s mud in my eye!” Birchkit squealed.

“Hush!” snapped Ferncloud, and Birchkit fell silent.

Needlepaw’s breath quickened. Only a few more fox-lengths and they would reach the crest of the slope that would take them away from this mud and the monsters. Suddenly, Dovewing froze, then she bounded up to Firestar and whispered something into his ear. Firestar glanced at Lionblaze and Cinderheart, then nodded. The three cats hared off in the opposite direction. At first, Needlepaw was confused, and Alderpaw and Sparkpaw (who had joined them a little bit ago) shared it. Then she heard a sound that turned her blood to ice. A dog howled from somewhere near the monsters, and when she lifted her head to look, she saw it pelting toward them, its ears flapping and its giant paws leaping over the mud. Instantly, Needlepaw understood. Dovewing had heard the dog, and Firestar had sent her, Lionblaze, and Cinderheart to deal with it. Needlepaw sped over to Blackstar, yowling;

“Don’t worry, they got it!” she gestured to the three future warriors, now entangled in a fight with the black brute. Lionblaze was on its back, racking his claws across its flank, while Cinderheart aim blows at the dog’s legs. Dovewing was ferociously batting at its muzzle, and then the Twolegs heard the commotion and one ran toward the dog, howling as the warriors stopped and fled a fox-length ahead of the creature’s glistening fangs. Lionblaze had turned and was running for the dog again, hurtling past its nose and bringing it to a bewildered halt. The dog gazed around, its eyes gleaming with fury. Lionblaze spun on his hind legs and raced back again. The dog lashed out, its jaws snapping close to Lionblaze’s flank. The Twoleg howled again and leaned forward, reaching out with its paw. Then the Twoleg’s paw closed around the dog’s collar and dragged it away. Squirrelpaw felt dizzy with relief.

Lionblaze tore away from the Twoleg with Cinderheart and Dovewing on his tail. 

“Run!” he screeched as he streaked toward the clans. Needlepaw spun around and raced after her Clanmates. Most of them had reached the top of the rise and were pelting down the other side. Needlepaw checked to see if any cat needed help, but the last elders, two ShadowClan cats weak with fear, were being half dragged, half pushed to safety by Russetfur and Stormfur. Needlepaw followed them as they stumbled over the crest of the hill and fled down the slope.

Not until she was halfway down did she realize that she had crossed the WindClan border and left Clan territory for the very last time. The scent markers had been washed away by the mud and the rain and the stench of the monsters. They had left their homes. The journey had truly begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Needlepaw: MOVE IT PEEPS!
> 
> Frogspeck: I. Am. Speed. *Zoom*


	18. Over The Mountain And Through The Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last one. Hope you all will have a wonderful Christmas! And if you don't celebrate Christmas, have a wonderful random week!
> 
> Also, I might not be able to answer any comments until January 5, so I hope it will be alright if you all can wait that long.

Like cloud shadows drifting over the ground, the Clans trekked in silence across a meadow. Squirrelpaw was grateful that Brambleclaw walked close beside her, shielding her from the icy wind. The rain was easing now, but the clouds had been raked into tatters by a thorn-sharp breeze that promised colder weather. Shivering, she looked up and saw a Twoleg nest looming ahead, even bigger than the Great Rock.

Her paws were sore from the prickly stubble that seemed to cover all the fields they had passed through, and she longed for the softness of leaves underpaw. The air was filled with unfamiliar scents—Twolegs, the monsters that prowled the crisscrossing Thunderpaths, the fresh scent of dog drifting from a Twoleg nest, and the recent scent of rogues. Squirrelpaw felt the instinctive tension of any cat that strayed from its territory, even though she was surrounded by more Clan cats than she had seen before in her life. She scanned the hedgerow, and her heart seemed to stop beating altogether when she saw the brown beech leaves rustle madly, shaken by more than just the wind.

Ravenpaw stepped out from his hiding place like a shadow coming to life, and stared at the Clans in surprise. A second cat slipped out of the hedge behind him. Squirrelpaw recognized the black-and-white pelt of Barley, the cat who had allowed Ravenpaw to share his home in a Twoleg barn for many moons.

“Firestar! Is that you?” Ravenpaw’s ears twitched as he called out for his old friend. The Clan cats halted and stared at him. Every cat knew about the black-pelted ThunderClan apprentice who had been driven out by his mentor, Tigerstar. Even if they hadn’t known him during his short time in the forest, many had met him on the journey to Highstones.

“Hello, Ravenpaw.” Tallstar dipped his head in greeting.

“Ravenpaw!” Firestar pushed through the other cats to greet his old friend.

“Firestar!” Ravenpaw touched noses with the ThunderClan leader. He looked around. “Where’s Graystripe?”

Firestar blinked. 

“Graystripe’s not with us.”

“Is he dead?” Ravenpaw’s pelt bristled in shock.

Firestar shook his head. 

“Twolegs captured him.”

“Twolegs?” Ravenpaw echoed. “Why?”

“They started trapping us.” Firestar’s mew was raw with grief. “We’ve been forced to leave the forest.”

“What?” Ravenpaw lifted his nose to scent the air. “Is that WindClan and RiverClan with you? And ShadowClan?”

“The Twolegs are destroying all our homes,” Firestar explained. “We would have been crushed by their monsters if we’d stayed, if we didn’t starve first.”

“You look half-starved already,” Barley remarked, coming forward.

“Hello, Barley,” Firestar greeted him. “How’s the hunting?”

“Better for me than for you, by the looks of it,” came the blunt reply.

“Where are you heading?” Ravenpaw asked.

“Highstones first, and then . . .” Firestar turned to look questioningly at Brambleclaw, but Brambleclaw just gazed back in silence.

“You’ll stay with us tonight, won’t you?” Ravenpaw asked. “The hunting is good this moon. The barn is full of rats sheltering from the cold.”

“Wait, Ravenpaw,” warned Barley. “This many cats will never fit into the barn. The Twolegs would have a fit when they came to get straw for the cows.”

“That’s true,” Ravenpaw said. “But there must be a way to help.”

“I suppose they could stay at the broken nest,” Barley suggested.

“Of course!” Ravenpaw turned to Firestar. “You know the place—where you sheltered with Bluestar after the rat attack?”

Firestar glanced up at the reddening clouds. 

“I was hoping we’d make it to Highstones by tonight.”

“We can’t turn down the offer of food,” Blackstar argued. Firestar dipped his head. 

“You’re right.” He turned back to Ravenpaw. “Thank you.”

“Let’s get you settled; then we can show the warriors the best places to hunt,” Ravenpaw mewed. “There’ll be plenty for every cat.”

Squirrelpaw heard murmurs of excitement ripple through the Clans, and the kits began to mewl their hunger out loud now that it seemed there was a chance they would be fed.

“We need a rest and a meal more than you can imagine,” Firestar meowed.

Ravenpaw gazed at his friend’s mud-stained pelt. 

“Oh, Firestar,” he murmured, “I think I can imagine.”

The broken Twoleg place had no roof, but now the rain had stopped, its stone walls were enough to shelter the cats from the wind.

“I recognize this,” whispered Ashfoot, a WindClan queen that Alderpaw recognized as Crowpaw’s mother, Lionblaze and Jayfeather’s grandmother. “We slept here when Firestar led us back home, after Brokenstar drove us out.”

“I didn’t think we’d ever see this place again,” Webfoot growled.

The kits and elders streamed gratefully into the nest, glad of the chance to lie down. Ravenpaw and Barley led the warriors away to hunt, while the apprentices, Squirrelpaw and Crowpaw among them, stayed to guard the others. Cinderpelt and Leafpaw padded among the cats to check that none had been hurt in the desperate scramble across the moor. Sparkpaw and Needlepaw were laying beside each other, eyes alert for any threats.

“Squirrelpaw?” Leafpaw called. “Can you fetch some of that rain-soaked moss from outside? Some of the queens and elders are too tired to walk that far.” Squirrelpaw nodded and hurried away to pull pawfuls of sodden moss from the ancient stones that formed the walls of the shelter. The cats took it from her eagerly, lapping at the water that they squeezed out with their forepaws. Alderpaw picked his way over to his friends and settled down beside them, nodding to Dawnflower and her kits as he passed. The warriors then returned, carrying fresh-kill. Warm, delicious scents filled the shelter, and Alderpaw pricked his ears as Lionblaze dropped a thrush and a fat mouse in front of the three apprentices.

“Here you three go. Enjoy!” Lionblaze touched noses with his cousins, nodded to Needlepaw, then turned around to join Cinderheart, Dovewing, and Jayfeather. Needlepaw took a bite from the mouse, and pushed the thrush over to the siblings, who meowed in thanks. The ate in silence for a bit, just thinking, then Sparkpaw meowed;

“I never really expected us to actually see all this.” she blew a feather off her whiskers. “You know, seeing the making of Tigerclan, being in the battle with Bloodclan, and now this! The Great Journey. It didn’t hit me until, well, now.” Alderpaw nuzzled her shoulder.

“I get it.” he meowed. “We didn’t fully think about just what we would have to go through when we arrived. We didn’t realize a lot.” Needlepaw snorted.

“Like how much of history we have changed.” Alderpaw flicked his ear, agreeing. “Like, Scourge being Firestar’s half-brother? We did not see that coming, but because of us coming back, he’s now Icefoot, and his siblings are all in Thunderclan too.” she licked her muzzle. “Just how crazy is that?” Sparkpaw nodded.

“Pretty crazy,” she agreed. “I was shocked when I found out that Icefoot was my half-great uncle. Thought,” she meowed drily. “Not as crazy as us still having apprentice names when we’re literally past the required age.” The cats mrrowed with laughter.

“What do you think our names will be?” Needlepaw asked when they calmed down.

“Hmmm…” Sparkpaw hummed, inspecting her brother.

“What are you doing?” he dead-panned.

“Figuring out your name.” she meowed. Sparkpaw gave a sharp nod. “I’ve got it. Alderleaf is a good one. But so is Alderlight….Needlepaw, help me out.” The silver tabby and the orange one debated back and forth while Alderpaw just buried his face in his paws.

“I’ve got it!” Sparkpaw announced. “Alderheart!” Needlepaw nodded.

“That’s a good one!” Alderpaw lifted his head.

“You both done now?” he asked.

“We got to figure out ours!” Needlepaw objected. “How about...Sparkblaze? Or Sparkstorm?”

“Sparkshade? Spark...pelt?” Alderpaw suggested. “Sparkpelt?” Sparkpaw nodded.

“That sounds like a good one.” she meowed. “Now, Needlepaw.”

“Needlestrike?” Alderpaw meowed. “Needlestep?”

“Needleclaw?” Sparkpaw thought for a bit. “What about Needletail?” Needlepaw pricked her ears.

“Nice one!” she meowed.

When Squirrelpaw woke, cold sunlight streamed into the nest. She flexed her claws, wondering how late it was. She had slept soundly. Looking up, she saw her father standing on a fallen stone that made a natural platform in the center of the broken nest. All around him, cats were drowsily lifting their heads and blinking in the daylight.

“We’ve slept too long,” Firestar mewed. “It’s sunhigh. We must push on to Highstones. Wherever we’re going, we have a long journey ahead of us.”

Mudclaw got to his paws, a stubborn expression on his face.

“Why must we leave a place that has such good hunting?”

“My kits have fed well for the first time in moons!” Tallpoppy put in.

“This is a prey-rich place,” Tallstar agreed. The WindClan leader looked tired and drawn despite their long sleep.

“Ravenpaw only invited us to stay the night,” Firestar argued.

“So? What could he do if we decided to stay longer?” Blackstar stared defiantly at Ravenpaw. “My Clan needs food and shelter, and they will take it by force if necessary.”

Brambleclaw stood up. 

“This is not the place for us,” he meowed. “I don’t know exactly where we’re going, but I know it’s not here.”

Squirrelpaw nodded. 

“Why would StarClan have made us journey all the way to the sun-drown-place if they only meant for us to make our homes here? We wouldn’t need a sign for that.”

Crowpaw twitched his ears. 

“We must finish the journey we’ve started,” he growled.

“I agree,” meowed Stormfur from the RiverClan corner.

“Me too.” Rowanclaw stretched, arching her back. “We must carry on.”

“I think they’re right,” Leopardstar meowed unexpectedly. “There are too many Twolegs around here. What if one of their dogs got loose? We’d be trapped in a place like this.”

Blackstar narrowed his eyes. 

“Very well,” he muttered.

Tallpoppy reluctantly got to her paws, nudging her kits awake. 

“Come on, my dears,” she whispered. “We’re leaving.”

“But it’s warm here,” mewled one.

“And there’s fresh-kill,” squeaked another.

“We must go anyway,” Tallpoppy told them. Her voice was dull with tiredness, and Squirrelpaw felt a jolt of sympathy for the brave ShadowClan queen. She padded toward the entrance, and her kits followed, their fur sticking up in clumps where they had slept on it.

“I’ll come with you to Highstones,” Ravenpaw offered, brushing his tail against Firestar’s flank.

The cats filed silently away from the shelter, heading for the crags of Highstones that towered in the distance, dark against the clearing sky. Squirrelpaw shivered as the wind ruffled her fur. Sunhigh was already past. If they slowed their pace to match the elders and kits, they would not reach Highstones until the sun had dipped below the horizon.

“So who is ThunderClan’s deputy now?” she heard Ravenpaw ask Firestar. Squirrelpaw glanced at Brambleclaw, but he kept his eyes fixed straight ahead.

“Graystripe is,” Firestar growled.

Ravenpaw stared at his friend in surprise. 

“But he’s gone.”

Firestar rounded on him, his eyes glittering with pain.

“Isn’t it enough that we’ve had to leave our home? Don’t ask me to give up on my friend as well. I know he would never give up on me.” He started to trudge on again. “ThunderClan has a deputy, and there is no need to choose a new one.” he glanced at Alderpaw, who was nearby. “Not yet at least.”

Highstones was cast in blue-black shade as the sun sank low in the sky. The cats had seemed to take forever struggling up the steep, stony slope on paws already raw from the day’s traveling. Now they lay exhausted outside Mothermouth.

Squirrelpaw stared into the great black tunnel that led to the Moonstone. The Clan leaders and their medicine cats had disappeared into it as soon as they had arrived.

“I wish you’d gone with them,” Squirrelpaw muttered to her sister. “You could have told me what StarClan said.”

“Leopardstar said this wasn’t a time for apprentices, and Firestar agreed with her,” Leafpaw mewed.

“Do you think StarClan will tell them anything?”

“Who knows?” murmured Leafpaw.

There was the sound of loose stones crunching beneath paws, and Firestar padded out of the tunnel, followed by Tallstar, Leopardstar, and Blackstar. Their faces gave nothing away as they separated to join their Clans.

“I want to know what happened!” Squirrelpaw fretted.

“They can’t tell us anything about the ceremony,” Leafpaw reminded her.

Squirrelpaw felt a prickle of frustration. It was all right for Leafpaw; she had her own special connection with StarClan. Couldn’t she help out the cats who didn’t?

“Squirrelpaw!’ Brambleclaw called. The tabby warrior was weaving his way toward her. “We’re meeting up there!” he whispered. He nodded to the crest of the ridge. “We have to decide where we’re going next.”

Squirrelpaw put her head on one side. 

“I thought we were going to the sun-drown-place to find Midnight.”

“This is our last chance to be sure it’s the right thing to do,” Brambleclaw replied. “After this, we’ll be taking our Clanmates into territory where they’ve never been before. Come on.” he paused and got Alderpaw and Needlepaw’s attention, then invited them to come. “They might know something that could help us out.” Squirrelpaw nodded.

Squirrelpaw followed him up the steep slope, away from the rest of the Clans. She could see Stormfur hurrying to the top of the ridge from the RiverClan cats, his gray pelt glowing in the moonlight. Rowanclaw and Crowpaw already sat on top of the jagged spine of rocks, silhouetted against the starclad indigo sky.

The shadowy world stretched away on the other side of Highstones, a huge black expanse that made Squirrelpaw’s breath catch in her throat. Out there were snowcapped mountains, strange cats, dangerous creatures, and the sun-drown-place, that endless stretch of water where Midnight lived. Squirrelpaw shivered.  _ Oh, StarClan, what are we doing? _

“Does everyone agree we should head for the sun-drown-place and find Midnight?” Brambleclaw asked.

Rowanclaw’s eyes were round with worry. 

“I can’t think of what else we should do, but what if she’s not there any more?”

“It’s a long and dangerous journey,” Stormfur agreed.

“I was so sure we were going to lead them to a safe new home,” Squirrelpaw meowed, remembering her excitement as she carried Midnight’s message back from sun-drown-place. “We were going to save them.”

“And instead we might be leading them into unnecessary danger,” Brambleclaw murmured.

“Why couldn’t StarClan have chosen different cats to carry this message?” Stormfur sighed. Squirrelpaw’s heart ached for him. He had lost so much. His sister had died on the first journey, and now Twolegs had taken his father. She moved closer to him, pressing her flank against his.

“Do you think our ancestors have abandoned us?” Rowanclaw mewed, voicing the fear that nagged at them all.

“Well, they haven’t sent the sign Midnight promised,” Brambleclaw admitted. “Have any of you seen a dying warrior?”

“Perhaps it was Mudfur?” Stormfur suggested.

“He was a medicine cat,” Squirrelpaw pointed out.

“Would Midnight know the difference?” murmured Rowanclaw.

The cats looked at one another in silence.

“Starclan will send a sign.” Alderpaw’s mew said. He and Needlepaw had joined them. “Their dying warrior sign doesn’t have to be a literal one.” As he spoke, a flash of movement caught Squirrelpaw’s attention. She gasped, and the other cats followed her gaze. Above them, a falling star blazed a silvery trail before disappearing in a flash of light.

“The dying warrior!’ Squirrelpaw breathed. It was the sign they had been waiting for, one of StarClan’s own warriors scorching into nothingness to show them the way to go. Faint as cobweb, the star’s fiery trail hung in the sky, stretching toward the horizon where the jagged peaks of the mountains jutted into the sky. Alderpaw had been right, it wasn’t a literal dying warrior, it was a metaphorical one.

“Now we know which way to go,” Brambleclaw murmured.

“Over the mountains,” meowed Squirrelpaw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starclan: Simon says....defeat Bloodclan.
> 
> Clans: OK
> 
> Starclan: Simon says....Firestar, there's another clan.
> 
> Firestar: Should I go fix it?
> 
> Starclan: NO! SIMON SAYS NO!
> 
> Firestar: bye
> 
> Starclan: Gah.....Simon says...........GO OVER THAT MOUNTAIN!
> 
> Clans: Wait, what?
> 
> How Starclan decided who will get chucked and become the 'dying warrior'
> 
> Bluestar: Who will it be?
> 
> Yellowfang: Someone who GREAT at falling.
> 
> Starclan: *Slowly turns to Pinestar*
> 
> Pinestar: .........wat?
> 
> Sunstar: How do you feel about flying?
> 
> Pinestar: Well, I don't fancy it really...
> 
> Leopardfoot: TOO BAD! *Chucks him through the air*


	19. Firestar Is, Once Again, Depressed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY LATE NEW YEAR!
> 
> Goodbye 2020, Year of Hell. Hello 2021, you better be better then your predecessor.

Firestar was studying the pale blue sky, green eyes narrowed in thought. He scanned the cats of the four clans, and stopped on his siblings. Creekflower was curled up beside Whitepaw, her granddaughter, and her son Cloudtail, with Brightheart at his side. Swiftshade was tucked up a fox-length away. Copperleaf was snoozing beside Lightningfur and Airleap, and Icefoot was lounging beside Stonebrook. Firestar glanced around, looking for Shadecloud, and pricked his ears, slightly surprised to see her awake, talking quietly with Frogspeck. As the dark red tom’s curious gaze left his sister, a fimiliar scent caught his attention.

Ravenpaw was padding up the slope with a freshly killed rabbit dangling from his jaws. The other ThunderClan cats were still sleeping, clustered in a dip in the rock several fox-lengths away from where each of the other Clans had settled for the night. But the scent of the rabbit woke them, and they began to raise their heads as Ravenpaw weaved among them. Firestar stood and stretched, Sandstorm at his side, as Ravenpaw dropped the fresh-kill at the ThunderClan leader’s paws.

“A parting gift,” he mewed. Firestar stared at him. 

“I wish you’d come with us,” he meowed. “I’ve lost Graystripe; I don’t want to leave another friend behind.” Graystripe’s capture hurt, and it tore at Firestar to leave him behind, and it hurt even more as the realization of having to leave Ravenpaw behind as well settled in.

Ravenpaw shook his head. 

“My home is here, but I’ll never forget you, I promise. I’ll be waiting for you always.”

“We have been through so much together,” Firestar murmured, his eyes gleaming as he remembered. “We’ve seen the death of Bluestar, the defeat of Tigerstar. . . .” He sighed. “So much has happened, like water flowing past in a river.”

“More water will flow before we join StarClan,” Ravenpaw assured him. “This is not an end. It is a beginning. You will need the courage of a lion to face this journey.”

“It’s hard to find courage when so much is lost.” Firestar’s eyes clouded. “I never thought I’d leave the forest! Even when BloodClan came, I would have died to save my home.” He would have gladly died if it meant the survival of his clan. Thunderclan was his life, and everything he did was for them. Even peice of prey caught, every battle fought, and every life he lost would be for Thunderclan - maybe even all the clans if he had to.

Ravenpaw drew his tail gently along Firestar’s flank. 

“If I see Graystripe, I’ll tell him which way you’ve gone,” he promised. He dipped his head formally. “Good-bye, Firestar, and good luck.”

“Good-bye, Ravenpaw.”

As the black loner bounded away down the slope, Firestar’s heart ached. He was leaving behind his two oldest and closest friends—without even knowing if one of them was still alive. His mind recalled his early days in clan life. Him - Firepaw - Graypaw and Ravenpaw enjoyed their time together, and he twitched his whiskers as he remembered the time Ravenpaw got wrapped up in the adder he caught. Sandstorm pressed her cheek against his, as if to remind him he was not alone. He curled his tail with hers. He wasn’t alone, he had Sandstorm, his daughters, his siblings, and his entire clan. Graystripe may be lost for some time, and Firestar knew he would return one day, even surer than before due to his grandchildren comfirming it. His mind wondered to his decision to not appoint a new deputy. He knew many didn’t like it, but they all knew his reasoning behind it. But, if Graystripe was gone as long as Alderpaw said, he might have to appoint a new deputy. Alderpaw had told him he chose Bramblelcaw, even though he didn’t yet have an apprentice. Firestar thoughtfully tilted his head as Sandstorm, sensing he was deep in thought, began washing his ears. Birchkit and Larchkit would be the next apprentices. He could tidy up that little problem by giving one of the kits to Brambleclaw to mentor.  _ He’s experienced thanks to his trip to the sun-drown-place, and his hunting and fighting skills are rather good, plus _ \- Firestar thought, amused -  _ he had good mentoring if I do say so myself. _ Firestar twitched his ears and pressed his muzzle to Sandstorm’s.

“Got that worry of yours solved, I take it?” she meowed.

“I did.” he replied.

“Good,” she gave his shoulder a quick lick. “Your mind isn’t on top of things when you’re worrying about something.” she gave him a flick with her tail, then teased; “That’s something you and Alderpaw have in common.” he rolled his eyes at her and butted his head against her shoulder.

Leafpaw had never guessed such a vast world existed beyond Highstones. Field after field stretched before them, dotted with sheep, looking exactly like clouds, as Brambleclaw had described. Squirrelpaw padded beside her, her breath billowing into the frosty air.

“Do you remember this?” Leafpaw asked.

“A bit,” Squirrelpaw mewed.

“So we’re going the right way?”

“Yes.”

Leafpaw wondered why her sister seemed so reluctant to talk. She watched her exchange an anxious glance with Brambleclaw. He had been weaving among the cats all morning, flanking first one side, then the other, as if he was afraid of losing one.

Leafpaw felt the air tremble, and a rumbling in the distance made her pause. It sounded as if a storm was coming, but the clear sky told her there couldn’t be. She lifted her nose and sniffed the air. A Thunderpath.

“It’s a big one,” Squirrelpaw warned.

As they drew nearer, the rumbling grew to a roar, and the stench began to burn Leafpaw’s throat. The cats in front slowed down, jostling together but still keeping closer to their Clanmates than the other cats. Squirrelpaw pushed forward, and Leafpaw followed until they reached a ditch with steeply sloping sides. Beyond it lay the Thunderpath.

“We should get the kits across first.” Firestar led the way into the narrow gully. Leafpaw jumped down beside Sorreltail, her paws slipping on the greasy grass. Monsters roared past in both directions, and she flinched as the earth shook beneath her paws.

“Each Clan should take its own chances,” Mudclaw insisted.

“RiverClan will cross first,” Hawkfrost declared.

“Not all the warriors are as strong as RiverClan’s,” Leopardstar pointed out. “Firestar is right; we should help the weaker Clans.”

“My Clan doesn’t need your help!” hissed Mudclaw. “Besides, it would be chaos! No cat would know whose orders to follow!” Deadfoot limped forward, glaring sternly at Mudclaw.

“Those orders would come from me, Mudclaw, as they usually do if Tallstar does not give them.” he jerked his head back to the Windclan cats. Gorseheart was hovering beside Morningflower, while Onewhisker kept close to Tallstar’s side. “Now scram. We have things to discuss.” Mudclaw muttered something under his breath and turned back to join his clan.

Brambleclaw pushed through the crowd to stand beside Firestar. Leafpaw was close enough to scent the fear in him.

“Surely it doesn’t matter who is in charge until every cat is safely on the other side?”

Blackstar flattened his ears and Hawkfrost lashed his tail.

“Let him continue,” Firestar warned.

“I’ll lead ThunderClan,” Brambleclaw meowed. “Crowpaw can lead WindClan. Rowanclaw can take ShadowClan, and Stormfur, you guide RiverClan.”

“Crowpaw can’t lead WindClan,” Mudclaw was back. “He’s only an apprentice.”

“Have you crossed this path before?” Brambleclaw demanded.

“No,” Mudclaw spat. “But I have commanded my Clan before!”

“And those commands are no longer yours!” Deadfoot hissed. “I agree that we should let Crowpaw lead.”

Stormfur, ignoreing the drama, flicked his tail and led his Clanmates to the edge of the Thunderpath, where he crouched, waiting to give the signal. A monster roared past, its pelt glinting in the sunlight. As soon as it had gone, Stormfur yowled and the RiverClan cats surged up and over the Thunderpath. Leafpaw searched for Dawnflower, quickly spotting her pale gray coat and feeling a rush of relief when she saw that two RiverClan warriors were helping to carry her kits.

As the cats bundled onto the verge on the other side, Leafpaw heard the menacing rumble of another monster. Thanking StarClan that RiverClan had all made it safely, she looked up to see how far away it was. Deadfoot had pushed his clan away from the Thunderpath, Crowpaw at his side. The Windclan deputy’s black coat was near-identical to Crowpaw’s, and Leafpaw remembered with a jolt that the two were father and son. She then gasped. The monster carrened off the path, the Twoleg inside shouting at the Windclan cats.

“Move it!” Crowpaw yowled as Deadfoot frantacally gesturred for Windclan to move back farthur. Morningflower stumbled, and Gorseheart hurried her along. Deadfoot was the last to move back, and the monster barely missed him, so close that the wind tugged his fur. It roared away without slowing down. Deadfoot directed his clan back to the Thunderpath, and Crowpaw ordered them forward. They all made it across safely, much to Leafpaw’s relief.

Leafpaw turned back to watch ShadowClan waiting to cross. The ShadowClan leader was watching Rowanclaw, Needlepaw sitting beside him.

An apprentice darted forward.

“Get back!” Rowanclaw hissed. His tone stopped the apprentice in his tracks, and he darted back to join the other cats.

“We go together!” he insisted, glancing at Blackstar. He nodded.

There were no monsters in sight. Cautiously Blackstar padded forward, lifting his nose to scent the air. 

“Now!” he called, and the ShadowClan cats leaped up the side of the ditch and spilled onto the Thunderpath. Tallpoppy’s kits were carried safely by warriors, and Tallpoppy herself was swept along by her Clan like a fish swimming downstream.

Leafpaw sighed with relief as all the cats reached the other side just before a monster set the earth trembling once more.

“We’ll go after this one,” Brambleclaw called.

Suddenly a tiny cry came from the far side. Leafpaw stiffened. One of Tallpoppy’s kits had wandered back onto the Thunderpath! Dazed, it wandered in a circle on the hard path, mewling for its mother. Dustpelt and Mousefur flattened their bellies to the ground, ready to make a dash for the kit. Lightningfur had her hackles raised, eyes fixed on the kit.

“Wait!” Brambleclaw ordered. “It’s too dangerous.”

The Clan held its position.

Tallpoppy began to struggle through the mass of ShadowClan cats to reach her kit, but one of the RiverClan queens was closer. Dawnflower leaped onto the Thunderpath and scooped the kit out of the way of the monster. She carried it back to the verge, dropped it on the grass, and began licking it roughly.

Suddenly she stopped and swiped her tongue around her lips in confusion as she realized the kit was not her own. She glanced self-consciously at her Clanmates as Tallpoppy bounded over and snatched up her kit. Leafpaw tensed, hoping Tallpoppy wasn’t offended by the RiverClan queen’s intervention. But her eyes were brimming with gratitude, and she dipped her head to Dawnflower before carrying her kit away.

Leafpaw slowly grew used to dealing with Thunderpaths as they trekked toward the setting sun. The Clans still crossed separately, but the queens watched out for each other’s kits now, having seen how easily the youngest cats were confused by the noise and the stench of the monsters. Like cobwebs in the rain, the Clan boundaries were beginning to dissolve.

“We should reach the mountains this evening,” Brambleclaw announced as Leafpaw did her morning rounds of the Clan, checking for injuries or signs of infection.

“Are we that close?” She stared up at the peaks, which had grown from a tiny line on the horizon into a forbidding mass of stone. She shivered at the sight of the snow that capped the highest crags. Some of the cats had already begun coughing, awakening Leafpaw’s fear of greencough, the illness that could wipe out an entire Clan in leaf-bare.

“Leafpaw!” Firestar called. “Are you up for a little hunting?”

“Yes, please,” she replied eagerly. She had been so busy tending to the Clan, padding cuts with cobweb, soothing scratches with dock, trying to make the best of what herbs she and Cinderpelt had found along the way, that she had not hunted in days.

“Go with Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw, then,” Firestar ordered. “See if you can bring back a mouse or two.” Icefoot slid up to his brother’s side and the two began talking quietly.

Squirrelpaw bounded to her side. 

“Which way shall we go?”

“There should be plenty of mice in that field over there.” Brambleclaw pointed with his tail to an open meadow beyond the hedgerow.

“Come on then,” Squirrelpaw urged. Brambleclaw charged after her, and Leafpaw followed, wriggling through the hedge to find herself in a broad, grassy space.

While Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw ranged around the edge of the field, she headed into the long grass battered down by the leaf-bare winds and rain. Almost at once she smelled mouse. After the long, hungry moons in the prey-scarce forest they had left behind, Leafpaw could not believe her luck. Crouching down, she prowled through the grass until she found the freshest trail. A moment later she spotted a twitch of brown scrabbling deep in the grass, and pounced.

The mouse darted away before her paws hit the ground, and she only flattened the tussock where it had been sitting a heartbeat before.

“I see you’re more accustomed to forest hunting.”

Hawkfrost’s condescending mew made Leafpaw jump. She spun around to find the RiverClan warrior calmly watching her, his tail curled over his paws.

“Haven’t you got anything better to do?” she challenged him. “Like hunt for your own Clan?”

“I’ve already caught three mice and a thrush,” he meowed. “I think I have earned a rest.”

As Leafpaw searched for a sharp reply, Alderpaw and Sparkpaw, along with Needlepaw, flew past them. Leafpaw gazed, startled, after them as Needlepaw whipped around and yowled;

“Dog!”

Hawkfrost lifted his nose and scented the air. Leafpaw could hear the heavy pawsteps now, pounding through the grass. She stared around in terror, wondering which way to run.

“Get back to the hedge!” Hawkfrost commanded.

Leafpaw began to run, but an angry snarl made her freeze. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Hawkfrost arching his back at a snarling black-and-white dog. The RiverClan warrior let out a hiss and leaped back, lashing out to rake his claws across the dog’s snout.

“Brambleclaw! Squirrelpaw! Help!” Leafpaw yowled.

The dog lunged again; Hawkfrost sprang out of the way, and Sparkpaw attacked the brute with a screech.

“Look out!” Brambleclaw burst out of the grass beside Leafpaw and leaped onto the back of the dog. He clung on with piercing claws as it bucked and howled and struggled to shake him off. “Sparkpaw, move!” Sparkpaw obeyed, and jumped back to where Needlepaw, with her back arch and hissing at the dog, and Alderpaw, his fur fluffed up and amber eyes wide, were at. Brambleclaw hung on, but the dog twisted its head back and clamped its jaws shut only a mouse-length from Brambleclaw’s face. Hissing in terror, Brambleclaw let go and was hurled to the ground. In the heartbeat it took him to recover, the dog had rounded on him, slavering with rage.

A yowl of challenge ripped through the clearing and a black blurr threw himself in front of Brambleclaw, aiming a flurry of thorn-sharp swipes at the dog’s muzzle. It was Frogspeck! Brambleclaw scrambled to his paws and joined the attack. Leafpaw stood stiff-legged with horror, watching the three warriors turn and move. The dog began to back away with its tail clamped between its legs. Hawkfrost reared up on his hind legs and hissed so menacingly that the dog yelped and ran for the hedge.

“Brambleclaw, are you all right?” Leafpaw gasped.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Good job Frogspeck was here to save you,” Hawkfrost sneered. Frogspeck shot his brother a look.

“I saved you, in case you’ve forgotten,” Brambleclaw retorted.

Hawkfrost shrugged. 

“I suppose you did,” he admitted ungraciously. At his brother’s look, Hawkfrost added; “Thanks.”

“Well, I guess you scared that mutt off pretty well,” Brambleclaw conceded.

“What’s going on?” Squirrelpaw hurried out of the long grass. “I smell dog.”

“It attacked us. Brambleclaw, Frogspeck, and Hawkfrost scared it away,” Leafpaw reported.

“You’re kidding!” gasped Squirrelpaw.

“I’m going back now,” Hawkfrost announced abruptly. Their narrow escape didn’t seem to have made him any friendlier, and Leafpaw was quite happy to see the RiverClan warrior stalk away. Frogspeck sighed.

“Sorry about him,” he meowed. “He can be prideful at times.” he flicked Bramblelcaw with his tail. “So, I hear you and Tawnypelt are my half-siblings. I look forward to get to know you a little better.” he then flicked his ear. “Well, as much as the code allows it. That’s the downside.” Brambleclaw nodded.

“It does kind of suck sometimes.” Frogspeck nodded good-bye to everyone else in the clearing, and trotted off in the direction Hawkfrost went.

“Well,” Squirrelpaw meowed. “He’s friendly.” Leafpaw nodded, then turned to the last three in the woods.

“You three all right?” she asked. Alderpaw was already sniffing the two she-cats, then nodded.

“We’re all fine. That dog just surprised us and we just bolted.” Needlepaw embarressly nodded.

“Welp,” Sparkpaw meowed. “Let’s keep going. Dovewing said she wanted to show us how to jump on Lionblaze from the trees. She’s the master of it.”

“Of tree climbing?”

“Nope, of jumping on Lionblaze. She nailed him once when she was his apprentice.” the three cats took off, meowing in laughter. The final three all blinked, exchanged looks, then shook there heads.

“Come on; let’s keep hunting,” meowed Brambleclaw. He bounded off through the grass.

“Come on, Leafpaw!” Squirrelpaw called over her shoulder. “You’ll need to eat well before we head into the mountains.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firestar: *Suffering from tons of emotional baggage & heartache*
> 
> Yellowfang: *Being dragged away* LEMME GO! I HAVE BEEN SUMMONED TO DROP-KICK THAT DEPRESSION!!


	20. Jayfeather Experiences An Oddity (Curtesy of His Parents)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heya everyone! I might not have as many chapters to post as I used to, due to my school schedule being changed. I used to have a whole free period and a half one on two separate days, but now I have a half of one on one day. Bummer, am I right? Anyway, enjoy!

A bitter wind blew down from the mountains as the Clans joined the trail that led into the towering peaks. Heavy clouds blanketed the sky, and Alderpaw could tell by their yellow tinge that it would soon start snowing.

Brambleclaw and Stormfur were leading them along the side of a steep valley. It was as different from the forest and the lake as Alderpaw could possibly imagine. There were only a few trees, gnarled and stunted, clinging to the smooth gray stone, with nowhere that prey might live. Moons of desperate hunger had left the WindClan cats’ fur thin and useless against the chill, but they plodded grimly on with their heads down.

Tallstar looked as brittle as a leaf, often leaning on Onewhisker, who rarely strayed from his side. Deadfoot stayed close to his leader, taking his responsibilities seriously. ShadowClan looked little better, their eyes weary and their pace slow, and RiverClan appeared shabby, their gleaming coats nothing but a memory, half-forgotten, like the days when every cat had enough to eat. Alderpaw caught Dawnflower’s eye and waved his tail, too far away to call a greeting. She gave him a friendly nod in return, looking a little exhausted.

One of Tallpoppy’s kits gazed up at the crags with eyes as wide as an owl’s. 

“Are we really going up there?”

“Yes,” Tallpoppy answered bleakly.

Morningflower paused, then stiffly lifted one paw and grazed her tongue across its pad.

“Are you all right?” Leafpaw asked the elderly she-cat. Alderpaw trotted quickly over to look. Blood welled between Morningflower’s claws. Leafpaw looked farther up the line, where Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw padded side by side.

“Squirrelpaw!” Squirrelpaw turned at once. “Can we stop? We need to dress Morningflower’s paw.”

“I’ll tell Firestar,” came the reply.

“Is there anything you need?” Brambleclaw meowed.

“Cobweb and comfrey, if possible.” Alderpaw meowed as Leafpaw gazed at the barren landscape, with little hope of finding anything that would help.

Brackenfur, in the middle of the stream of cats, lifted his head. 

“We’ll find some,” he promised. He murmured to the cats around him. Mews rippled through the throng, and warriors of all Clans began to range out and search among the rocks.

Leafpaw examined Morningflower’s paw. 

“You’ve kept it clean,” she mewed. “But if you go on softening it with your tongue, it’ll never toughen.”

Barkface pushed his way forward to join them. 

“What’s wrong?” Jayfeather slid after after.

“It’s just raw from walking,” Morningflower muttered.

“Will this do?” Russetfur came over and spat a mouthful of leaves onto the ground.

Alderpaw sniffed them cautiously. They didn’t smell like anything he was used to. Leafpaw lapped up a leaf, letting its flavor seep into her tongue before she dared bite it. 

“It might do.” She glanced at Barkface. “Should we try it?”

Barkface sniffed a leaf. 

“It looks a little like something we used on the moors.”

“You may as well try,” Morningflower offered. “If it works, you can use it on others. I’ll let you know soon enough if it hurts too much.”

Leafpaw chewed the leaf and washed its green juice into Morningflower’s paw.

The old cat winced and Leafpaw drew back. 

“It’s okay,” Morningflower grunted. “Just a sting. Carry on.” Jayfeather bent over to sniff the leaves as Mothwing bounded up, one forepaw swathed in sticky, white web.

“Great, thanks!” Carefully, Alderpaw teased the web from her outstretched paw and wrapped as much as he could around Morningflower’s swollen pad. “Let us know if it starts to throb.”

“I will.” Morningflower pressed her paw gingerly to the ground. “Not bad,” she mewed. Gorseheart emerged from the crowd of cats, Crowpaw stalking behind him.

“You okay?” the ginger and white tom asked, sniffing his mother. Morningflower purred and licked his ear.

“I’m fine,” she meowed. Alderpaw noticed Crowpaw glancing quizzically at Leafpaw, and snuck a look at Jayfeather. His mentor looked a bit akward at being in the same place as his mother and father, but he shook it off. Alderpaw leaned over and whispered;

“Weird, huh?” Jayfeather flicked an ear.

“Yes,” he meowed. “Yes it is.”

Brambleclaw hurried back to the head of the line, and the cats set off again. 

The trail was leading them onto a ledge that spiraled around a dizzying gorge. The mountain fell away at one side of the path and rose up vertically on the other. The wind funneled through the gap like water through a ditch, tugging at Leafpaw’s fur. She narrowed her eyes against the icy blast and kept her gaze fixed firmly ahead.

The cats fell into single file to pick their way along the ledge.

“Carry the kits!” Blackstar called down the line, and his yowl echoed eerily off the walls of the gorge.

The ledge followed the curve of the mountain, sloping up toward a narrow pass between two peaks. The mountainside echoed with the rattle of stones as the edge of the path crumbled beneath the cats’ paws and sent grit showering down into the shadows below. Leafpaw walked as close as she could to the rock face, her heart hammering. She could feel Sorreltail’s warm breath behind her. Leafpaw noticed that Dovewing had her ears flattened, and she was looking nervously around. What was she concerned about? Dovewing whispered something to Lionblaze, and he nodded.

Suddenly a wail rang out from up ahead, and a large chunk of rock clattered endlessly down into the abyss. A hole yawned in the narrow path, sending Smokepaw, a ShadowClan

apprentice, skidding toward the edge. Lionblaze was a blurr of golden fur as he managed to grab the apprentice and haul him to safety.

A ShadowClan queen dashed over.

“Smokepaw!” she began licking her kit, eyes wide with fright, before turning to Lionblaze and thanking him profoundlessly. He just gave an embaressed nod.

“No problem.” he meowed, before shotting Dovewing a furvitive look.

The cats set off once more, pressing so close to the cliff face that it scraped their fur. But Smokepaw’s near-fall had left a gap in the ledge.

Fortunately Longtail was among the cats that had been ahead of the Shadowclan apprentice—Leafpaw gulped at the thought of helping the sightless tom across a gap he had no way of measuring—but there were still several cats on the wrong side of the terrifying hole. Including Jayfeather. The gray tom was stiff, probably trying to hide how scared he was, and Lionblaze kept close to his brother, Cinderheart taking up the rear.

Stormfur crouched on the far side, bracing his claws against the rock. 

“Come on,” he called to Weaselpaw, a WindClan apprentice. “It’s safe on this side. You can jump it easily.”

Weaselpaw stared down at the shadows, his eyes stretched wide.

“The others will freeze waiting for you,” Stormfur growled, losing his patience. “Just jump!”

Weaselpaw looked up and blinked. He crouched, keeping his weight well back on his haunches, then leaped across with his front legs outstretched. Stormfur caught him by the scruff as he landed, grunting with the effort. He gave him a nudge up the path and turned to the next cat. Lionblaze inspected the gap and meowed;

“It’s a few fox-lengths wide. Like the one we crossed when we were apprentices.” Jayfeather gave a sharp nod. Leafpaw watched, breathless with concern and fear, as the gray tabby dropped into a croach, narrowed his ears and he pricked his ears, and sprang across the gap. Lionblaze’s eyes were fixed on his brother, muscles tensed up before relaxing as Jayfeather reached the other side. Alderpaw, who was ahead of the gap, dashed over to his mentor and touched noses with him. The next cat was Tallpoppy.

“My kits can’t jump that!” Tallpoppy shrank back.

“Can you pass them over?” Stormfur meowed.

Tallpoppy flattened her ears. 

“It’s too far!”

“I’ll take them.” Crowpaw squeezed carefully past Stormfur and jumped the gap to land in front of Tallpoppy. She stared at him, her eyes filled with fear. “I won’t drop them,” he promised. He picked up the smallest  **(I headcanon this to be Applekit)** and padded to the edge of the hole. The kit struggled beneath his chin, its terrified mewls echoing around the chasm. Tallpoppy watched, huge-eyed, as Crowpaw jumped. Pebbles showered from the ledge as he landed beside Stormfur, but he kept his footing. Leafpaw was amazed by his agility.  **(OoooOOOoooo…. I sense LeafCrow)**

“Make sure she stays put,” he meowed, placing the kit gently on the ledge. Then he turned and leaped back for the next.

When all three were safely over, Tallpoppy followed, clearing the gap easily with her long legs. 

“Thank you,” she breathed.

She pressed her muzzle against each of her kits before nudging them gently onward, up the slope.

“Let’s get the others across,” Crowpaw mewed to Stormfur. “You stay on this side; “I’ll go to the other.”

When it was Leafpaw’s turn, her paws trembled so hard that she was afraid they would shake her right over the edge.

“It’s okay,” Crowpaw murmured. “It’s not as hard as it looks.”

Leafpaw felt his warm breath on her fur and tried to concentrate on that instead of the gaping hole before her. She knew that back home, with nothing but the soft forest floor beneath her, she would leap this far without thinking. But here, the gap seemed to drag at her like a black river, pulling her down, down, down. . . .

“Don’t think about it!” Stormfur called.

Leafpaw screwed up her eyes, feeling the lip of stone under her paws. _ StarClan, help me! _ She crouched down and sprang, landing in a skid that made her paws sting. 

“Well done!” Stormfur yowled.

Leafpaw shuffled around and saw Sorreltail waiting to jump. She shrank back as Sorreltail hurtled toward her and skittered dangerously near the edge. Leafpaw lunged and grabbed her scruff.

“Thanks,” Sorreltail breathed shakily.

“That’s okay,” Leafpaw muttered through a mouthful of tortoiseshell fur.

“Hurry and catch up with the others,” Stormfur mewed. “We’ll make sure the rest get over in one piece.”

They padded gingerly up the slope. Tallpoppy had already disappeared through a narrow ravine, and Leafpaw followed her, eager to be away from the ledge. The ravine opened into a sloping valley that fell away toward another ridge. On one side, a great rock cliff soared toward the sky. On the other, a slope swept more gently upward to where heather and grass fought for space among the jutting stones. The other cats hovered like shadows among the rocks. Cinderpelt was already  weaving among them, checking that everyone was all right. Jayfeather was talking with Lionblaze, Cinderheart, and Dovewing, while Alderpaw and Sparkpaw were excitedly chatting with each other.

Leafpaw’s stomach growled. She hoped the hollows and crevices would conceal some small prey. The cats had hardly eaten since they had entered the mountains. The prey-rich fields of Twolegplace seemed a distant memory, and there didn’t seem to be enough food here to feed one Clan, let alone four.

“It looks like some of the cats are already hunting,” Sorreltail meowed. Tawnypelt, along with Copperleaf and Stonebrook, were leading a small patrol up one side of the valley. Blackstar was heading for a rocky outcrop a little farther down, flanked by a pair of ShadowClan warriors.

“Leafpaw! Sorreltail!”

Leafpaw heard her father calling and bounded down to him.

“Brambleclaw’s organizing hunting patrols,” he meowed. “You two can join him.”

“Shouldn’t I help Cinderpelt and Jayfeather?” Leafpaw asked.

Firestar glanced over to the gray medicine cat. 

“No cat is hurt, though a few are in shock. Cinderpelt told me she and Jayfeather could manage.”

“Okay,” Leafpaw mewed. She hurried to join Brambleclaw, with Sorreltail beside her.

“Are Birchkit and Larchkit okay?” Leafpaw paused as they passed Ferncloud.

“They’re fine,” Ferncloud assured her. She looked at the clouds. “But once the snow starts . . .”

Birchkit narrowed his eyes when he saw Leafpaw. 

“Why couldn’t Cody come with us?” he whined. 

“Did you tell her to go away?” Larchkit asked.

Leafpaw shook her head. 

“She has a home of her own,” she told them gently.

“But she was fun!”

“There’ll be plenty of time for fun when we get to our new home,” Ferncloud promised.

“If we ever get there,” Sorreltail muttered as they padded away.

“Of course we’ll get there,” Leafpaw told her, hoping she sounded as if she believed it.

Brambleclaw came dashing across the slope, alarmed by the shower of stones Sorreltail had just dislodged. 

“What happened?”

“I slipped, that’s all,” Sorreltail told him, though her eyes still glittered with fear.

“You have to be careful!” Brambleclaw hissed. He stopped abruptly and stared past them.

“What is it?” Leafpaw spun around, her heart thudding.

With a flood of relief she realized he had just spotted the mouse creeping out of the crack in the rock.

“Stay still,” Brambleclaw ordered in a whisper.

“But I could get it in one pounce,” Sorreltail breathed back.

“Wait,” Brambleclaw growled.

Leafpaw heard the faint beat of wings above her head. Looking up, she saw a huge bracken-colored bird circling overhead. She gulped, wondering exactly what it had spotted as prey—the mouse, or them?

“If we’re lucky,” Brambleclaw murmured as the eagle folded its wings and swooped down toward them as swift and silent as a StarClan warrior, “it’ll go for that mouse and we’ll be able to take the Clan something big enough to share.”

“And if we’re not lucky?” muttered Sorreltail. Brambleclaw didn’t answer.

Above them, the eagle’s wings seemed to stretch wider than the river that had separated ThunderClan from RiverClan. Leafpaw fought against the urge to turn tail and run. Closer and closer the bird came, until she could see each feather on its massive wings, and its eyes gleaming like tiny black pebbles.

“Wait, wait,” Brambleclaw breathed through clenched teeth.

Just when Leafpaw could see the sinews on the bird’s yellow talons, it plummeted past them, ignoring the mouse and the three cats on the ledge. It was heading straight for the Clans in the valley below!

Brambleclaw sprang to the edge and peered over. 

“Look out!” he yowled.

The mass of golden-brown feathers seemed to explode among the cats, who screeched in terror as they raced in all directions. Only the warriors held their ground, leaping up on their hind legs and thrashing the air with unsheathed claws as the eagle climbed up once more, beating its powerful wings. As it began to rise into the sky, Leafpaw saw a small, struggling creature grasped in its long talons, and heard the pitiful mewls of a terrified kit.  _ No! _

“Marshkit!” Tallpoppy shrieked.

Suddenly Brackenfur sprang into the air as though lifted by the wind. With his outstretched claws he grasped the eagle’s talons a heartbeat before they rose out of reach. Yowling with rage, he clung on. Snowflight lept with a screech from the wall of rock and pounced on the eagle’s wing, making it screech and shake the golden brown and snowy white warriors off. Brackenfur collapsed onto the ground, but their attack had been enough to loosen the eagle’s grasp, and the kit plummeted down beside him. Snowflight, too, was thrown off and managed to catch himself by gripping a branch of one of the few trees with his claws, before slowly dropping down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jayfeather: *Sees Leafpaw and Crowpaw in close proximity to each other* Uh oh.....it's gonna happen soon......
> 
> Alderpaw: *Just chilling, exploring the mountains*
> 
> Eagle: I'M GOIN' DOWN! I'M YELLING TIMBER!!!! *Goes for Marshkit*
> 
> Brackenfur & Snowflight: *Yeets the eagle out of the air*


	21. Sparkpaw Needs A Hug (A Really, Really, Warm One)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters today! Hope you like them!

Sparkpaw glimpsed movement on the ledge above. She stopped, her paws sinking into the banked snow, and glanced up. A falcon was feasting on a shrew a few tail-lengths up the rocky outcrop. Sparkpaw knew her orange pelt must stand out like a sunset in a pale sky, and she stood motionless, hoping that the falcon hadn’t noticed her. Squirrelpaw and Needlepaw were with her, and they too froze when they spotted the falcon.

The snow felt soothing against her raw pads. She wondered if she had the power to leap up the short distance and catch the falcon. Probably not. The past few days had sapped her strength until she almost couldn’t be bothered to hunt at all.

The falcon flattened the shrew against the rock and stooped to pull the flesh from it. Sparkpaw felt a wrench of envy as hunger clawed at her belly. Slow as melting ice, she spotted Squirrelpaw prowling forward, praying the thickly falling snow would camouflage her pelt.

She had to catch some prey. The cold would start killing cats faster than any eagle if the Clans grew any hungrier. Despite their bold promises to Tallpoppy, the shock of nearly losing Smokepaw and Marshkit had shaken the confidence of even the strongest warriors.

The falcon ruffled its feathers, shaking off some snow, and brought Sparkpaw’s wandering thoughts back to the hunt.

Squirrelpaw had tensed her tired muscles and prepared to leap.

Suddenly a flash of fur above her made her draw back. Three lean, mud-streaked cats hurled themselves from the rocks above the falcon. One snared the falcon in its long claws, while the other two bundled Squirrelpaw backward, knocking the breath from her. Sparkpaw screeched and jumped on the tom who bowled her mother over. Needlepaw arched her back and let out a threatning hiss as Sparkpaw tried to tug the tom off Squirrelpaw. But, thanks to her smallar size and weakened state, she had no luck.

“Squirrelpaw?” Sparkpaw froze and Needlepaw paused as the tom said Squirrelpaw’s name. Did he know her? The two she-cats exchanged a confused look. The tom was staring at Squirrelpaw in undisguised surprise as the dark red she-cat scrambled to her paws. The two other cats stood behind him, wide-eyed with astonishment.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded.

“We’ve left the forest,” Squirrelpaw explained. “We’re traveling over the mountains.”

The tom narrowed his eyes. 

“Again?”

“We’re all going this time.”

“All?”

“The four Clans,” Squirrelpaw mewed. “We couldn’t stay in the forest any longer. There was too much destruction. But we never though the journey would be this hard! Smokepaw nearly fell into a ravine,”

“And it was only because of Lionblaze that he was able to live.” Needlepaw meowed. The tom gazed at her and Sparkpaw, curious.

“And then an eagle tried to carry off Marshkit. . . .” Squirrelpaw trailed off breathlessly.

“Kits?” the tom demanded. “Out here? Are you mad? You must bring all of these cats to the Cave of Rushing Water and rest. Where did you leave them?”

“We sheltered under some rocks. There was a tree jutting out above them like a giant claw.” Sparkpaw meowed.

The tom glanced at the cave-guards. 

“Tree-rock,” he meowed. “Go there.”

The cats bounded away across the snowdrift, their ears flattened against the falling snow.

“Let’s find these Clans of yours before they freeze to death,” The tom meowed, picking up the still-warm falcon in his jaws. The three she-cats struggled to keep up with the tom as he raced after the, what Sparkpaw presumed to be, cave-guards.

“They’ll be safe once we get them to the Cave of Rushing Water,” the tom  **(Man, I’m getting sick of calling Talon that. I need his name to be said soon.)** called over his shoulder. They scrambled on until they was clear of the drift and pounding after him along a rock ledge that had been shielded from the snow by a sharp overhang. Sparkpaw’s paws sent stones showering down the steep slope, but she kept running. Needlepaw was puffing alongside her, but her long legs helped her to keep up.

“Eagle!” The cave-guards skidded to a halt where the ledge came to an abrupt end. Looking along the side of the valley, Sparkpaw saw the rocky outcrop where she had left the Clans. Their pelts looked like dark smudges through the driving snow. Above them Sparkpaw recognized the predatory circling motion of the eagle and felt her belly twist in dread.

The cave-guards sank back onto their haunches, then sprang over the deep cleft that lay between them and the Clan cats. The tom  **(GAAAH)** followed, leaping easily over the gap even though he was carrying the dead falcon. Sparkpaw and Needlepaw exchanged startled looks. The tom’s jump had reminded them of Skyclan’s special abblity to jump.

Sparkpaw then looked across the divide, then down at the long drop beneath her. Rocks sharp as teeth pierced the snow that pooled in the chasm beneath. Squirrelpaw jumped across first, clearing showing that she got herleaping skills from her father and mother, and landed safely on the other side. Summoning up every last bit of her strength, Sparkpaw leaped toward the rocky ledge where The tom waited. Reaching out desperately with her forepaws, she grasped the ledge, her hind legs churning empty air. The tom lunged forward, and she felt his teeth sink into her scruff as he pulled her up to safety.

“Thanks.” she meowed.  _ Looks like I need to practice my jumping. _ Sparkpaw thought as Needlepaw wriggled her hunches and sprang across, back paws scrambling as she landed.

The moment Needlepaw felt solid ground beneath her paws, Squirrelpaw raced after the Tribe cats, Sparkpaw and Needlepaw taking off a mere second after. Above them, the eagle folded its wings and started to drop toward the ground.

“Birchkit! Larchkit!” Ferncloud’s shriek tore through the air.

Russetfur leaped forward to scoop up Birchkit, thrust him to his mother, then grabbed Larchkit and shoved her, her brother, and mother into the shadows of the rock. Brambleclaw and Gorseheart herded Dawnflower and her kits after them. Hawkfrost leaped to Onewhisker’s side, and together they shielded Tallstar from the attack. Icefoot had his hackles raised and his ice-blue eyes were zeroed in on the eagle, a threatening yowl sounding from his throat.

As the eagle swooped down, its talons raking the air, the cave-guards plunged among the Clans. The other tom swiped at the bird’s wing, and the other cave-guard, and she-cat, lunged at it, clawing a feather from its tail. The air thrummed with the beating of the great bird’s wings as it swooped upward, screeching, into the blizzard.

The Clan cats crept out from the shelter of the rock and stared in amazement at their rescuers. Brambleclaw bounded over, flicking lumps of snow up

“Talon! Jag!” He touched noses happily with each cave-guard.  **(AND THERE ARE THE NAMES!)**

Crowpaw padded up and flicked his tail against Talon’s flank. 

“Great timing,” he mewed.

“This is Talon,” Squirrelpaw announced to the Clans. “And Jag and . . .”

“I’m Night of No Stars,” the third cave-guard meowed.

Her voice carried the strange accent Sparkpaw had heard her parents talk about.

Talon looked around. 

“Where is Stormfur?”

“He went hunting,” Rowanclaw explained.

Firestar shouldered his way to the front. 

“Are you able to help us? The kits are freezing,” he meowed. “One is close to death.”

“Let me see,” ordered Talon.

“Here!” Leafpaw called from beneath the overhang where Tallpoppy was licking her limp kit. Whitestorm was beside her, trying to use his bulk to warm up the kit. Instantly Night picked the kit up in her jaws and placed it on Whitestorm’s flank.

“Keep it off the ground,” the Tribe she-cat growled. “The rock will suck the warmth from him. And don’t lick. The wet will make him colder.” She began to rub the kit roughly with her forepaws, ruffling its damp fur until the kit began to stir.

“Keep rubbing,” she told Leafpaw. “Remember, don’t lick.”

The ShadowClan queen stared at Night with eyes brimming with emotion, but the Tribe cat only nodded curtly and directed a question at Firestar.

“How long have you been here?” she asked.

“Too long,” Squirrelpaw murmured. Sparkpaw agreed. She felt the weakness of hunger returning now the danger had passed. The cold was making her sleepy, and she shivered as Alderpaw bounded up and pressed against her. She gratefully burrowed into him, but he too was lacking warmth, but she was grateful for the gesture nevertheless.

“We’ll take you all back to the cave,” Talon offered. “You can get warm and eat there.”

“We have to keep going.” Blackstar’s eyes glittered. “We should leave the mountains before the snow gets any worse.” Needlepaw pressed herself against Sparkpaw, concern as the orange she-cat sneezed. Firestar snapped his head over to them.

“Sparkpaw? Are you alright?” he meowed, concern plain as day in his green eyes. The tabby shivered in responce. Alderpaw exchanged a panicked looked with Needlepaw.

“Jayfeather!” Alderpaw screeched. The gray tabby was there in an instant. Sparkpaw flattened her ears as she coughed once again.

“I don’t feel so good…” she meowed.

“We need to get her to the Cave,” Talon meowed. “She’ll freeze if she stays out here any longer.”

Blackstar paused, then nodded, eyes softening as he grew concerned over Needlepaw, who’s eyes were wide with worry.

“Very well.” Blackstar stared at Talon. “We’ll come with you.”

Tallpoppy picked up her kit by the scruff of his neck. Marshkit squirmed and gave a squeak of protest. 

“It’s all right, little one,” his mother murmured. “You’ll be safe soon.”

The others began to stir, hauling themselves to their paws as they prepared to follow the Tribe cats to the cave. Suddenly a dark shape raced from a shadowy gully near the overhang.

“Brambleclaw! I’ve scented the Tribe!” It was Stormfur. He paused, staring around the surprised faces. Then he recognized Talon. “You’re here!”

“We found Squirrelpaw,” Talon explained.

Stormfur padded forward and touched the cave-guard’s flank with his nose. 

“How’s Brook?” he asked.

“She’s fine,” Talon replied. “We’d better get on.” He glanced at Jag and Night. “I’ll lead the way; you two bring up the rear.”

Sparkpaw felt exhaustion dragging at her paws as she staggered along the unseen paths that led toward the waterfall. Alderpaw and Needlepaw kept close to her, trying to get her warm with their fur, but, like every one elese’s, their’s was patchy and thin, not bearing much warmth. She paused only when they reached the cleft in the mountain where the water thundered over the rocks and pounded, frothing, into the deep pool below. Tawnypelt was helping Snowflight through the snow, he was slightly limping from the fall he took, but he pushed through the snow, determined.

Brambleclaw, Squirrelpaw, Crowpaw, Stormfur, and Rowanclaw stopped.

“We’re back,” Squirrelpaw breathed.

“I wasn’t sure we’d ever see this place again,” Stormfur murmured.

The Clans padded past them, following Talon onto the narrow ledge that led behind the wall of water. The cats filed slowly behind the waterfall, their fur darkening as the spray soaked their pelts. Stormfur, Brambleclaw, and Rowanclaw weaved among them. Sparkpaw, through her numbness, saw Ashfur stop at the edge of the thundering sheet of water. 

“We have to go behind there?”

Behind the waterfall, the light wavered on the rock, which glittered and dripped with moisture. 

“Go on,” Squirrelpaw urged Ashfur. “It’s warm inside; I promise.”

The ThunderClan warrior stepped inside, and Squirrelpaw

followed him. Lionblaze then slid quickly through, eyes narrowed onto Ashfur, clearly determined to keep a close eye on him. The three future apprentices entered next, and new scents washed over Sparkpaw, and, as her eyes adjusted to the gloom, she saw the Tribe staring at the visitors in astonishment.

One young she-cat, her brown tabby fur just visible beneath the streaks of mud that all Tribe cats wore, was looking around with something close to excitement, and even joy. Sparkpaw saw her desperately searching the sea of faces, and felt fur brush against hers as Stormfur bounded past. He headed straight for her, and the two cats touched noses with such tenderness that Sparkpaw realized that this must be Brook, Stormfur’s future mate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sparkpaw: *Sneezes*
> 
> Alderpaw & Needlepaw: ALERT! ALERT! *Screaming*
> 
> Alderpaw: IS THERE A DOCTOR HERE?!?!
> 
> Needlepaw: YOU ARE A DOCTOR!!
> 
> Alderpaw: NOT A FULL ONE!!! JAYFEATHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Jayfeather: *Poofs from nowhere* Move aside, let the master through.


	22. Alderpaw Overhears Jayfeather Talking To His Girlfriend (Without Actually Knowing)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last one for today!

Alderpaw looked around the cave, blinking at the gloom. The roar of the waterfall made the air tremble, and the light filtering through the sheet of tumbling water quivered on the rocky walls. A stream sparkled like frost as it trickled down the mossy rocks and ran into a pool in the cave floor. Two tunnels led away into darkness, one at each end of the back wall, and narrow claws of stone hung down from the shadowy roof far above.

Alderpaw felt the Tribe cats staring at him, their eyes gleaming in the darkness, as he hovered over his sister, who had stopped shivering, but was still sneezing and coughing. Jayfeather was running a paw over Sparkpaw’s side, and declared that it was just a cold, and she would get better if she got some tansy, stayed warm, and got some rest.

As Alderpaw’s eyes adjusted, he began to pick out individual shapes, some lithe and sleek, others well muscled and broad shouldered. Yet they were all smaller than the Clan cats—even WindClan—leaner, with broad heads and slender necks.

The kits playing outside the entrance to one of the tunnels stopped and gazed at the Clan cats as they filed into the cave, their eyes wide and curious. A gray-and-white queen padded over to Leafpaw and sniffed her pelt.

“This is Wing,” Squirrelpaw explained as she padded over. “She looked after Rowanclaw last time we were here, when he was sick from a rat bite.”

The Tribe queen dipped her head. 

“Stoneteller said you were coming,” she meowed. “The Tribe of Endless Hunting told him that old friends would return and bring new friends with them.”

Despite his tiredness and hunger, Alderpaw pricked his ears, curious. Leafpaw looked the same.

“How did he know?” she whispered to Squirrelpaw.

“Stoneteller shares with the Tribe’s ancestors like you do with StarClan,” Squirrelpaw replied quietly.

Talon padded over. 

“There’s caught-prey here,” he offered, flicking his tail toward a pile of fresh-kill.

Leafpaw blinked. 

“Surely there can’t be enough to share with us all?”

“Eat.” Talon flicked his tail once more to the pile of fresh-kill. “Crag is organizing a hunt. There will soon be enough.”

The smell of rabbit rising from the fresh-kill pile made

Alderpaw’s stomach growl, but first he grabbed a thrush and plopped it down beside Sparkpaw, who lifted her head and purred a thanks.

“Share?”

“Sure.” As the littermates tucked in, Jayfeather passed by.

“There’s a medicine cat meeting,” he meowed, and continued as Alderpaw sprang to his paws. “You can stay, you need the rest.” Alderpaw blinked, then dipped his head, before sitting back down.

After he and Sparkpaw were done eating, they settled down, eyes half-closed, and just enjoying each other’s company. Alderpaw gazed around, and spotted Leafpaw helping Tallpoppy and her kits into a nest, and a long-bodied Tribe tom padded toward her. His fur was so streaked with mud he could not make out the color of his pelt. Only the white whiskers around his muzzle betrayed his age. Alderpaw raised his head, intruged about who this was.

“Who among you is healer?” he asked.

Startled, Leafpaw looked back at him, then to Cinderpelt, and met Alderpaw’s eyes. He stood up, check on Sparkpaw, who was sleeping, and padded over.

“We’ll take you to meet Firestar,” Leafpaw decided. She led him to where her father stood in quiet discussion with the other Clan leaders.

“We must not stay long,” Blackstar was muttering. “The snows will only get worse.” He looked around as Leafpaw approached.

“This is Stoneteller.” Leafpaw dipped her head and backed away. Alderpaw sat down with his tail curled over his paws.

“You are healer?” Stoneteller asked Firestar.

“I’m leader of ThunderClan,” he replied. “Cinderpelt is our Clan healer.” He flicked his tail toward Cinderpelt, who was watching them with interest from the other side of the cave. “And so is Jayfeather,” the gray tom in question was in a deep conversation with Lionblaze and Dovewing, who Alderpaw felt a twinge of sympathy, still had her ears flattened, fearful that she might lose her senses again. Alderpaw remembered that if Dovewing hadn’t heard the rocks and ice cracking, and warned Lionblaze in time, Smokepaw would have met a ghastly death. “This is Blackstar, Leopardstar, and Tallstar.” Firestar nodded to the three leaders in turn.

“You are all leaders?”

“Yes, we are,” Leopardstar meowed.

Stoneteller’s gaze rested on Tallstar, whose eyes were half- closed with exhaustion. “You are not well,” he meowed. “We give you herbs.” He glanced over his shoulder, catching the eye of a gray tabby she-cat. “Bird, bring strengthening herbs.” The tabby slipped away down one of the tunnels.

“The Tribe is grateful to your friends for killing Sharptooth. To Feathertail most of all. Her spirit will always be remembered by us.”

“She had her father’s courage,” Firestar agreed, and Alderpaw winced to hear the grief still raw in his voice when he thought of Graystripe.

“You must eat and rest,” Stoneteller went on.

“But after that we must continue our journey,” Blackstar meowed.

Stoneteller dipped his head. 

“We would not delay you.”

Bird returned with a mouthful of herbs and laid them in front of Tallstar.

Leafpaw’s whiskers twitch with curiosity. 

“What herbs are those?” Alderpaw, too, leaned forward, interested in the new herbs. Stoneteller’s amber eyes gleamed in the half-light.

“I am learning to be a healer,” Leafpaw explained quickly. “And so is Alderpaw, we know the herbs of the forest, but in the mountains . . .” She paused. “Everything is so different here.” Alderpaw nodded.

“I hope they aren’t bothering you.” Cinderpelt’s soft mew sounded beside them. “Leafpaw’s very inquisitive, and Alderpaw is quite curious.”

“Inquisitive and curious is good in a healer,” Stoneteller rasped. “They will learn much.” He blinked kindly at the medicine apprentices. “The herbs are ragwort and lamb’s ears. Good for strength.”

“May we see some later, so we can recognize them if we find them again?” Alderpaw poleitly asked.

“Of course.” Stoneteller’s voice was warm. Jayfeather then stalked over, tail twitching like he was irritated about something. Alderpaw butted his head against his shoulder, a playful look in his eyes. Jayfeather huffed and flicked his apprentice with his tail.

“Wing said you knew we were coming,” Leafpaw meowed, drawing Jayfeather and Alderpaw from their mini-scuffle. “Is that true?”

Stoneteller nodded. 

“The Tribe of Endless Hunting showed me.”

“Do you share dreams with your ancestors?” Cinderpelt asked.

“Share dreams?” he echoed. “No, I interpret the signs of rock and leaf and water, and know that this is the voice of the Tribe of Endless Hunting.”

“Cinderpelt interprets signs for our Clan,” Leafpaw mewed eagerly. “Signs sent by StarClan. She’s teaching me how to read them too.”

“She has a natural talent for it,” Cinderpelt added. Jayfeather flicked an ear and let out a suffering sigh.

“Starclan just  _ loves _ bugging me. For the longest time they kept popping up in my dreams, giving me obscure warnings, then disappear. Annoying.” he looked at Alderpaw. “They seem to not bug you as much.” Alderpaw shurgged.

“I’ve seen Yellowfang, and Bluestar. And Thunderstar.” Jayfeather jerked his head.

“Yellowfang is the one who bugs me the most. Nags me all the time.” Alderpaw blinked innocently at him.

“She doesn’t nag me.” he meowed. Jayfeather rolled his eyes.

“Goody for you, then.” his mew was lathered in sarcasm, but also a tad bit of humor.

“Perhaps you all would like to see the Cave of Pointed Stones,” Stoneteller suggested, after the two toms were done.

“Cave of Pointed Stones?” Leafpaw echoed. “Is that like our Moonstone?”

“I do not know your Moonstone,” murmured Stoneteller as he turned toward one of the dark tunnels that led from the cave. “If it is the place where the voices of your ancestors speak loudest, then yes, it is like your Moonstone.”

Tails twitching with excitement, the apprentices padded after Cinderpelt, Jayfeather, and Stoneteller down the narrow passage. Alderpaw wondered if they would have to travel as far down into the darkness of the earth as they did to reach the Moonstone; but within a few tail-lengths the passage opened out into another cave, sealed by walls of slippery rock.

Blinking as his eyes adjusted to the gloom, Alderpaw peered around. It was much smaller than the main cave, but many more stone claws reached down from the roof, and some stretched up from the ground. A few had joined together, like paws meeting, and in the pale light that seeped from a gap in the roof, Alderpaw saw that they glistened with water, which trickled down into pools on the hard stone floor.

Stoneteller touched one of the pools with his paw and sent ripples flashing across it. 

“The snow will melt, and these pools will grow, and when starlight shines I will see in them what the Tribe of Endless Hunting wishes me to know.”

“How often do you share with the Tribe of Endless Hunting?” Cinderpelt asked.

“When the pools form,” Stoneteller replied.

“We meet at half-moon to share with StarClan. . . .”

Alderpaw found his gaze drifting around the cave. Jayfeather was sitting away from them, eyes clouded, not because of his blindness, but from...guilt? Sadness? Jayfeather sighed and Alderpaw heard him mutter;

“I know you’re there Half Moon. You’ll going to have to wait a while longer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jayfeather: *Is reliving some private memories*
> 
> Alderpaw: oops, I overheard


	23. Thunderstar Gives Some Background And Leafpaw Is Following In Her Dad’s Footsteps (He’ll Be So Proud Of Her Detective Skills)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three chapters today! We have reached the end of Dawn. WHOOO! Also, this chapter is a long one. Whew!

A big orange tom with huge white paws slipped through the entrance behind the waterfall, ears pricked. His amber gaze rolled over the cats inside, softening when he laid eyes on his clan. There was Firestar, a perfect successor in Thunderstar’s opinion, sleeping next to Sandstorm. Lion’s Roar, or as he was actually called, Lionblaze was beside Cinderheart, with Dove’s Wing - Dovewing - close by. Jay’s Wing -  _ Jayfeather _ \- Thunderstar reminded himself, was fast asleep by Cinderpelt, and a few rabbit hops away from them were Alderpaw, Sparkpaw, and Needlepaw. He gave a satisfied nod, glad to see they were doing all right. It had been tough to decide who to send back, but he was proud to say he didn’t regret choosing the cats he did. 

Thunderstar blinked. A gray, lean shape had appeared beside him, and he pricked his ears.

“Gray Wing!” his uncle touched noses with him. “What are you doing here?”

“Same as you,” Gray Wing replied. “Checking on those guys.” he gestured to the futures. Gray Wing sighed and looked around. “It’s been many moons since we left here.” he murmured. “I’ve almost forgotten.” a scent drifted toward them and the two toms stood and dipped their heads as a white she-cat with green eyes approached.

“Stoneteller.” Gray Wing meowed. Then twitched his whiskers. “Or should I say Half Moon?” the she-cat swatted him.

“Call me Half Moon,” she meowed. “It’s been a while since I’ve heard that name.” she turned to Thunderstar. “How is it all going?”

“Rather good,” he meowed. “They have managed to save many. But they won’t be around when the Battle comes. At least, not at this age.” Half Moon nodded.

“That is true. Has Alderpaw spoken to Firestar about it yet?” Thunderstar shook his head.

“No, but he has time. There has been much to do and worry about.” Half Moon sighed as her gaze landed on Jayfeather.

“I pray that he tells Firestar soon. The Dark Forest is on to us. They aren’t able to send or summon one of their own back in time, but they will try anything to make sure that they fail.” Half Moon’s eyes darkened. “If One-Eye and Slash aren’t faded, once and for all, they could continue to stir up the darkest of hearts to bring about the end of the Clans.” Gray Wing dipped his head.

“I have heard rumors that they will begin training the living soon. Who, I do not know.” Thunderstar gazed around, before his eyes settled on four cats.

“I think I have an idea on who.” he nodded to Frogspeck, then Tawnypelt, then Brambleclaw, then Hawkfrost.

“Of course…” Gray Wing breathed. “Tigerstar would try to turn his children first. Lionblaze should warn Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt at least, he’ll be able to convince them with his history with Tigerstar.” Half Moon dipped her head.

“I’ll visit Jayfeather, he’ll pass the message along.” she meowed as she rose to her paws. “May the stars grant us luck, and courage.” Gray Wing disappeared first, then Thunderstar after he checked one last time on the apprentices. Half Moon slowly walked over to Jayfeather, and rested her paw on him, gently shaking him.

“Jay’s Wing,” she whispered. “I have a message for you.”

“You’re cheerful today,” Cinderpelt mewed. She looked up at Leafpaw, who was sitting beside her, washing in the early morning light that shone through the waterfall.

Leafpaw stopped washing. 

“I had a dream,” she confessed.

Cinderpelt sat up. 

“Did StarClan speak to you?”

Leafpaw blinked. Would Cinderpelt be offended that StarClan had chosen an apprentice for their message, and not ThunderClan’s medicine cat? 

“I’m sorry,” she began. “Perhaps they came when I was sleeping and you were awake, and that’s why they chose me—”

Cinderpelt cut her off with the gentlest touch of her tail on Leafpaw’s shoulder. 

“It’s okay, Leafpaw,” she mewed. “I’ve always known that you have a bond with StarClan that is stronger than anything I’ve seen before. It’s a great responsibility, and I’m very proud of how you cope with it.”

Leafpaw gazed at her, searching for words to express her relief and gratitude.

“What was the dream?” Cinderpelt prompted.

“It was very faint,” Leafpaw warned her. “But I know for certain that StarClan is still watching us, and I believe they will be with us wherever we are going.”

Firestar padded over, his fiery coat glowing almost white in the watery light.

“Are we leaving?” Cinderpelt asked.

Firestar shook his head. 

“It snowed all night, and Stoneteller says there’s more on the way. The Tribe is organizing a hunt so we’ll have enough fresh-kill to last out the bad weather.”

“Does that mean we’re stuck here?” Leafpaw mewed in alarm.

“For now.” Firestar watched Blackstar pacing back and forth in front of the cave entrance. “We’ll leave as soon as we can.”

“Leafpaw!” Sorreltail bounded over. “Do you want to come hunting with some of the Tribe?” She glanced at Firestar. “If that’s okay?”

Firestar turned to Cinderpelt. 

“Can you spare her?”

“Yes, of course,” Cinderpelt answered.

“Thanks,” Leafpaw mewed. After living in the forest it felt strange to be cooped up in the gloomy cave, and despite the cold she welcomed the feeling of fresh air in her fur.

Leafpaw stared through the sheet of thundering water and saw the full moon trembling above the peaks. None of the Clan cats had mentioned that it was a full moon, and time for a Gathering. There was no need. Suddenly she heard rasping breath by her ear, and she turned to see Stoneteller looking down at her.

“You are watching the moon for signs?” he meowed.

“I was thinking of the Gatherings,” Leafpaw mewed.

“Gatherings?” Stoneteller looked puzzled.

“In the time before we left, the four Clans would meet in peace only at full moon.”

“Clans did not live in harmony?”

“Not always,” Leafpaw admitted. “Unlike you, we had clear boundaries between our hunting territories.”

Stoneteller glanced around. 

“Trouble has brought you together,” he observed.

“But there will always be boundaries between us,” Leafpaw insisted.

“Why? Together you find food easier.”

“There have always been four Clans. Loyalty to our own Clan makes us strong.”

“But you all share a belief in your StarClan?”

“We will all become warriors in StarClan eventually,” Leafpaw murmured. She gazed at the moon, a blurred white disk behind the falling water.

Stoneteller’s eyes glowed. 

“You are still a to-be, yet you are wise.”

Feeling her ears grow hot with embarrassment, Leafpaw looked away. She cocked her head as she spotted Jayfeather and Lionblaze, heads bent, talking in rapid, quiet whispers. Stoneteller observed them for a bit, then meowed;

“They are troubled. They seem to have lots of weight on them.” Leafpaw nodded.

“They’ll actually from the future, and Starclan gave them the task, along with Cinderheart, Dovewing, Alderpaw, Sparkpaw, and Needlepaw, to make the future better.” She shook her head. “I always wondered just what happened that Starclan decided to do something so drastic.” Stoneteller hummed.

“Something dark must have hit them. Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Dovewing all look like they have had the fate of the Clans on their shoulders.” he rested his tail on her shoulder. “They may not be willing to tell, but all you can do is show them support. That will help a lot more than you think.” Leafpaw nodded, understanding. Stoneteller than changed the subject, taking her thoughts of the thought of a gloomy future.

“We will have a gathering of our own tonight,” Stoneteller went on. He raised his voice. “Cats of the Clans and of the Tribe, we have not celebrated our deliverance from Sharptooth,” he meowed. “Instead we grieved for Feathertail, who died saving us. But tonight we shall honor the cats who came from far away and killed the terrible creature.”

Mews of agreement rose among the Tribe cats. The kits mewed with excitement, and the boldest of them padded over to where Tallpoppy’s kits played with Ferncloud’s, with Dawncloud’s kits close by.

“Come and share with us,” the Tribe kit offered.

Birchkit glanced at his mother, who nodded, her eyes shining with warmth. Larchkit sweaked in excitement as Tallpoppy and Dawnflower quickly gave their approval, and the Clan kits wasted no time in following the Tribe kit across the cave.

One by one, the Tribe cats got to their paws and took a piece of fresh-kill from the pile. They placed each piece solemnly at the paws of a Clan cat until every cat had been served. The Clan cats watched and waited, unsure what to do. Leafpaw’s eyes widened in surprise as Crag dropped a rabbit at her paws.

“May I share with you?” he asked.

She nodded shyly. Stoneteller padded to the center of the cave. 

“We feast in honor of Feathertail,” he declared. “Her spirit will live forever in the Tribe of Endless Hunting. We honor, too, the cats who refused to desert us and returned to fulfill the prophecy of our ancestors.” He dipped his head in turn to Brambleclaw, Squirrelpaw, Rowanclaw, Crowpaw, and Stormfur, who each straightened proudly.

“Now let us eat!” Stoneteller called, his mew echoing around the cave.

Crag took a bite from the rabbit he had laid on the ground and then pushed it over to Leafpaw. Guessing this was a custom of the Tribe, she took a bite and passed it back to him.

Back in the forest, the cats had shared food too, but there was usually enough fresh-kill for each cat to have a whole piece each. She wondered if the Tribe’s formal sharing ritual arose from the scarcity of prey in the mountains.

After the meal, the cats lay, full-bellied, and quietly shared tongues. Tallstar limped to the center of the cave and gazed around at the cats until they fell silent. Onewhisker crept to his side, supporting the WindClan leader’s frail body with his own.

“Who’s that skinny old raven?” mewed a Tribe kit.

“Hush!” His mother cuffed him sharply. “That’s a very noble Clan leader!”

But though he had to lean on the young warrior, Tallstar’s eyes shone with as much strength and determination as a leader on his first life, rather than his last. 

“Crowpaw?”

The WindClan apprentice looked up, bewildered.

“Crowpaw has served his Clan with bravery and loyalty.” Tallstar’s voice cracked as he stifled a cough. “Gorseheart and I agreed that he should have received his warrior name long ago,” he rasped. “But the tragedies of the past moons have prevented this. Tonight, if Stoneteller will do me the kindness of letting a Clan ceremony into his Tribe’s home, I wish to honor Crowpaw’s great skill and courage by giving him his warrior name.”

Murmurs of agreement rose from the WindClan cats, but they turned to mews of surprise as Crowpaw stepped forward. This wasn’t part of the warrior naming ceremony.

“May I ask something, Tallstar?” he mewed.

Tallstar narrowed his eyes and nodded for him to go on.

“I would like to choose my own warrior name. If it is all right, I wish to be known as Crowfeather.” Crowpaw spoke so quietly, his voice was almost lost in the pounding water. “I wish to keep alive the memory of . . . of the cat who did not return from the first journey.”

Stormfur’s ears flicked, and he stared down at his paws.

There was a long pause; then Tallstar announced, 

“A noble request. Very well. I name you Crowfeather. May StarClan protect you and accept you as a WindClan warrior in life as well as after.”

The WindClan cats jumped up and went over to congratulate their Clanmate. Gorseheart touched noses with his former apprentice, tail raised high. Deadfoot pushed through the crowd and pressed his muzzle against his son’s, green eyes shining with pride. Ashfoot, Crowfeather’s mother as Leafpaw recalled, began covering her son in licks, purring so loudly it was a wonder the rocky roof was still standing. Leafpaw couldn’t help but notice Jayfeather and Lionblaze standing off to one side, and the two of them exchanged a nod with Deadfoot as the Windclan deputy stepped back from his son.

Leafpaw blinked. She hadn’t noticed it before, but Deadfoot, as well as Crowfeather, shared some physical similarities with Jayfeather. The three of them had slim, lean bodies, and Jayfeather’s gray tabby pelt was, though much lighter, eerily similar to Crowfeather and Ashfoot’s. Not to mention the future Thunderclan medicine cat had the same jay-blue eyes as Crowfeather and his mother. Leafpaw’s eyes narrowed, deep in though. She remembered that Lionblaze and Jayfeather had a sister, who in their time was dead, but she had been a black she-cat with green eyes...possibly a near-spitting image of Deadfoot. Leafpaw let out a soundless gasp as her amber eyes widened. Could it be possible that Lionblaze and Jayfeather were kin to Crowfeather? But if so, how?  **(Leafpaw, the detective. She gets it from her dad, ya’know. The Detective Master.)**

“That was a brilliant idea!” Leafpaw’s mental inquiry of the future cats was momentarily put to a halt as Squirrelpaw bounded over to Crowfeather’s side. Brambleclaw, Rowanclaw, and Stormfur joined her.

“It is a great name,” Rowanclaw agreed as Brambleclaw wound his lean body around Crowfeather, purring. Stormfur touched his muzzle to Crowfeather’s flank as if he were too moved to speak.

“Thank you,” Crowfeather murmured. He gazed past them at the waterfall, turned silver by the light of the moon. “I will sit my vigil tonight beside Feathertail’s grave.”

Leafpaw watched as he slipped away from his friends and Clanmates and padded out of the cave.

“So he’s a warrior now, yes?” Crag asked her, his eyes shining with curiosity.

“Yes.” Leafpaw got to her paws. “Thank you for sharing with me,” she murmured, mind still half on her sudden suspicion. 

The lonely moon from outside called her from the crowded den, and she longed to search the clear sky for Silverpelt.

Padding out from behind the waterfall, she scrambled up the rocks and sat high above the pool where the tumbling water foamed and surged. The stars glittered overhead as Leafpaw gazed down to where Crowfeather sat vigil. He was sitting with his head bowed beside the low mound of rocks that marked Feathertail’s grave. Was she really with the Tribe of Endless Hunting rather than StarClan?  _ Make her welcome, whoever you are, _ Leafpaw begged silently.

She glanced at Crowfeather once more, his dark shape barely visible in the moonlight. Leafpaw’s supicions were then confirmed. Crowfeather  _ did _ have the same figure as Jayfeather, and Leafpaw was certain the two were related somehow. Obviously, Lionblaze and Jayfeather were born in Thunderclan, and they did have Thunderclan blood (Lionblaze had the typical look, broad shoulders, powerful figure, ect.), so either Crowfeather was their grandfather, or...he was their father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random cat: Corporate would like you to identify the differences of these cats in these pictures. *Shows picture of Jayfeather than Crowfeather*
> 
> Leafpaw: They're the same picture.
> 
> Leafpaw:
> 
> Leafpaw: *Mind suddenly calculates genealogy & ancestry*
> 
> Leafpaw: HOLD THE EFF UP!


	24. BrambleSquirrel = Confirmed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is literally a filler chapter. I only changed one thing. Enjoy!

Squirrelpaw spotted a mouse on the ridge ahead, tiptoeing out from a crevice to find food. She hissed a warning to Stormfur, who stopped and crouched down, waiting until the mouse had wandered farther onto the trail. Though she longed to make the catch, Squirrelpaw knew Stormfur’s coat would be more easily camouflaged here, and she pressed her light red belly as close to the ground as she could, hoping that stillness would keep her hidden.

Stormfur held still for another moment, then pounced. He snapped the mouse’s spine and turned back to face Squirrelpaw, the fresh-kill hanging in his jaws.

“Is that a parting gift for Brook?” Squirrelpaw prompted gently.

Stormfur blinked.

“Look, what’s wrong?” Squirrelpaw asked, unable to bear seeing her friend so troubled. Stormfur had been acting down for the entirety of their hunt, and Squirrelpaw was determined to get to the bottom of it. Stormfur dropped the mouse, suddenly looking exhausted.

When he lifted his head, his eyes were shadowed with uncertainty. 

“I’ve decided to stay with the Tribe.”

“What?”

“I’ve lost Feathertail and Graystripe, and I never knew Silverstream. I have no kin left in the Clans. Stonefur was the closest thing I have to kin, apart from Feathertail, but he has his deputies duties to focus on. I don’t even have a home anymore. It feels as though everything has been stolen from me, one thing after another.”

“But what about your Clan?” Squirrelpaw protested. “RiverClan needs you.”

“RiverClan has good, strong warriors.” He looked into Squirrelpaw’s eyes and must have seen the wary look there. “Even Hawkfrost,” he meowed as if he could read her mind. “RiverClan will be safe without me.”

“But this is such a different place,” Squirrelpaw argued. “Once we’ve found our new home, you can start again. . . .”

“Oh, Squirrelpaw, can’t you understand? I love Brook, and I want to stay with her.”

“I thought you might ask her to join the Clans!” Squirrelpaw blurted out.

Stormfur shook his head. 

“She would be lost without the mountains. But I know that I can live here. There’s water here—noisier than the river—but it’s still water. There’s plenty of fresh-kill, now that I know how to hunt like the Tribe. And my sister’s spirit is here. . . .” He let out a long sigh.

“All the Clans have lost their homes, but I feel like I have lost more than any cat. This is the first time in many moons that I feel as if I have actually found something.”

“There’s no need to say any more,” Squirrelpaw whispered sadly. “I understand.”

As they walked back to the cave, her mind whirled. Once again, everything had changed, just when she thought there was nothing left to lose. They slipped behind the waterfall, and Stormfur carried the mouse to the fresh-kill pile, while Squirrelpaw stood at the cave entrance feeling dazed.

“Squirrelpaw!” Leafpaw rushed up to her. “Stoneteller has given us strengthening herbs to share with the Clans.”

Squirrelpaw stared at her. 

“Th-that’s great,” she mewed.

“Are you okay?”

“Leafpaw!” Cinderpelt was calling to her across the cave.

“I have to go,” Leafpaw breathed, turning away. “WindClan are waiting for the herbs.”

Squirrelpaw watched her go, her eyes slowly adjusting to the gloom. Another shape loomed toward her from the shadows, and her heart sank as she recognized the massive tabby shoulders. What did Hawkfrost want with her?

“Squirrelpaw?”

She blinked. It was Brambleclaw. He was looking at her quizzically. “Are you coming in?” he meowed. “We have to make sure everyone’s eaten.”

Squirrelpaw felt dizzy.

“Is something wrong?” Brambleclaw stared at her. Squirrelpaw shook her head helplessly. Across the cave, she could see Stormfur murmuring something to Brook. Brambleclaw followed her gaze. “Stormfur’s staying, isn’t he?”

“He wants to stay with Brook,” Squirrelpaw whispered.

There was a long pause. 

“You’ll miss him, won’t you?”

“Of course I will!” Squirrelpaw replied, surprised. She turned to look up at Brambleclaw and saw a flicker of something in his amber eyes. Was he feeling jealous? “Oh, Brambleclaw,” she breathed. “My heart is with ThunderClan; don’t you know that?” She lightly brushed her tail along his flank. “My heart is with you.”  **(AHHHH! BRAMBLESQUIRREL FAN GIRLING)**

His eyes closed, and Squirrelpaw suddenly hoped she hadn’t said the wrong thing. Then he blinked them open again and looked at her so gently that she felt as if she could have stood there forever.

“We must all follow our hearts,” he murmured. Squirrelpaw’s fears about what lay ahead seemed to dissolve in an instant, like mist in greenleaf. She would lose a friend when Stormfur stayed behind, but she would never be alone.

A movement caught her eye. Stoneteller was padding to the center of the cave.

“The Clans are leaving,” he announced to his Tribe. “I want some of you to go with them to show them the path out of the mountains. They head for hillplace, not sunset, so take them along the path that leads toward the Great Star.”

Squirrelpaw felt a rush of excitement. Were the Tribe cats going to take them straight to where the dying warrior had disappeared behind the mountain range?

Stoneteller dipped his head to each of the Clan leaders in turn. 

“I wish the cats of StarClan good hunting.”

“Thank you, Stoneteller.” Firestar dipped his head. “Your Tribe has shown us more kindness than we could have dreamed of, and we are sad to leave. But we are expected at another place promised to us by our warrior ancestors.” He turned to the other Clan leaders. “Tallstar, is WindClan ready?”

The WindClan leader stared at him, his eyes clouded with confusion, then glanced at Onewhisker, who was standing next to him. Onewhisker nodded back at him encouragingly, and he murmured;

“We’re ready,” 

“ShadowClan is ready too,” Blackstar called.

Leopardstar raised her tail. 

“All my cats are ready.”

“Not all of them.” Stormfur stepped forward. “I’m staying here.”

There was a stunned silence from all the cats. Then Dustpelt spoke. 

“You can’t leave your Clan now!”

“He is free to choose,” murmured Tallpoppy. Her eyes rested on Brook, her gaze gentle and understanding.

“Graystripe’s kit would not make such a decision lightly,” Sandstorm put in.

Firestar looked thoughtfully at Stormfur. 

“I remember how hard it was for Graystripe to choose Silverstream over his Clan,” he mewed. “But from that difficult choice, you and Feathertail were born. Without you both, everything would have been different for the Tribe and for the Clans. Feathertail killed Sharptooth, and you finished a difficult journey to bring StarClan’s message back to us. No cat can question your loyalty and courage, nor criticize your choice, for as your father proved, great things come from listening to your heart.”

Approving murmurs echoed around the cave until Leopardstar silenced the cats with a sharp yowl. Squirrelpaw’s pelt prickled. Would Leopardstar let her warrior go?

The RiverClan leader stared at Stormfur, her eyes narrowed. 

“Stormfur,” she meowed at last, “RiverClan will miss your courage and skill, but so much has changed in our lives that it is not impossible we will meet again, in this life or the next.” She dipped her head, accepting Stormfur’s decision without anger. “I wish you well.” Stonefur stepped forward and rested his muzzle on Stormfur’s head, meowed a quick farewell, and turned back to Leopardstar and Mistyfoot.

Brook brushed her tail against Stormfur’s flank as the Clans filed slowly out of the cave. Squirrelpaw looked sadly back at her friend, wishing he could at least be part of the patrol that would accompany them to the edge of the Tribe’s territory. But Stormfur stayed where he was, his gray pelt glowing in the shimmering light of the waterfall, his eyes betraying the depths of his grief. However much he wanted to live with the Tribe, Squirrelpaw knew that watching the Clans leave without him must be like losing Silverstream, Feathertail, and Graystripe all over again.

“Do you think he’ll be all right?” she asked Brambleclaw.

He gave her ear a swift lick. 

“I do.”

They followed the other cats out of the gorge and up into the peaks, the sun to one side of them as they headed along the mountain range.

“Do you think they’re taking us the right way?” she whispered to Brambleclaw.

Brambleclaw blinked. 

“I hope so.” He craned his neck. “It does seem to be the same direction we saw the star fall. I just hope they don’t lead us too far and we miss it.”

As he spoke, the Tribe cats veered their path and headed down through a winding pass. The ground suddenly fell away and the land rolled ahead of them, hill after hill, grassy here, shadowed with woodland there. From where the Clans stood, on the edge of the mountains, the greenness seemed strange after the endless gray and white of the crags. In the sunshine Squirrelpaw could see streams glimmering among the bare trees like silver birch bark in an oak forest.

“Is that it?” Brambleclaw breathed.

“‘Hills, oak woods for shelter, running streams.’” Squirrelpaw found herself quoting Midnight’s prophecy.

“But there’s so much of it!” Rowanclaw had slipped beside them. “How will we know where to stop?”

Brambleclaw shook his head, and they stared in silence until a flicker above their heads caught Squirrelpaw’s eye. Something was moving on the crest of the rocks that lined the mountain pass. Her pelt prickled with fear. Was it an eagle? She forced herself to look up and saw that it was not a bird. It was Stormfur and Brook, racing along the ridge, calling their good-byes to the departing Clans.

As Stormfur bounded nimbly from rock to rock, Brook matched him step for step, so that their pelts brushed each other’s with every leap. Stormfur’s mud-slicked fur was visible only when he crossed a patch of snow, and Squirrelpaw could not help thinking that the RiverClan cat looked almost Tribe-born.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Squirrelpaw: Brambleclaw, my heart is with you.
> 
> Brambleclaw: *Moment of shocked, yet estatic silence*
> 
> Squirrelpaw: *Sweats nervously when Bramble hasn't said anything*
> 
> Squirrelpaw, thinking: Oh my gosh, I've said something wrong!
> 
> Squirrelpaw, thinking: Oh no! Oh no! That's it! Our friendship is gonna die!
> 
> Squirrelpaw, thinking & dramatically mentally fainting: MY LIFE IS A LIE!!!!!!!!
> 
> Brambleclaw: My heart's with you too.
> 
> Squirrelpaw, frozen, & completly disregarding what just went on in her head: YEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!


	25. Dawn Rises...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THE END OF DAWN HAS COME!!!!
> 
> Needlepaw chapter to!

Needlepaw shook the drizzle from her whiskers and padded after the others up the heather-covered slope. They had trekked all morning, leaving the snow and mountains behind, chased by the rain that rolled down from the mountains after them.

“Have you noticed Tallstar?” Alderpaw whispered, padding beside her.

The WindClan leader was walking beside Onewhisker through the banks of heather. Despite the rain, he no longer leaned against Onewhisker’s flank, but padded confidently, as if he finally believed he was within reach of his Clan’s new home. He pricked his ears as a rabbit darted from a boulder farther ahead. Onewhisker glanced at his leader, and, when Tallstar nodded, he darted after the rabbit. Tornear and Webfoot raced up the slope after him.

“I think the smell of the heather has given WindClan some of their old spirit back,” Needlepaw heard Leafpaw purr.

All the cats seemed more relaxed than they had been in the mountains, not just WindClan. Blackstar padded next to Firestar, something Needlepaw had been dramatically surprised to see, Dustpelt walked alongside Russetfur, the heather brushing his striped flank as he talked comfortably to the ShadowClan deputy. The only tension Needlepaw detected was from Icefoot to Hawkfrost, and his tension was understandable. 

“Why can’t we stay here?” Needlepaw heard Birchkit’s fretful mew and, as her eyes became accustomed to the predawn light, she saw him staring up at his mother, crouched between the roots of a tree.

“We can’t stop yet.” Brambleclaw’s deep mew rang out before Ferncloud could reply. “StarClan will tell us when we have found our new home.”

“But the sign might come if we wait here,” Dustpelt meowed.

“Wait here?” Mudclaw glared at the ThunderClan cats. “These trees may feel like home to you, but not to us.”

“The streams here aren’t wide enough for fish,” Leopardstar pointed out.

Squirrelpaw nodded. 

“We must keep going.”

“Going where, exactly?” Hawkfrost growled. Squirrelpaw narrowed her eyes. 

“Do we have to know everything?”

Brambleclaw flicked his tail to silence her, then glanced at Cinderpelt. 

“Have you had any sign from StarClan?”

Cinderpelt shook her head. 

“Not me. But Leafpaw had a dream,” she meowed.

All the Clans turned to the apprentice, eyes gleaming in the half-light. 

“I-I don’t know if it was a sign,” she mewed quickly. “I dreamed I sat before a great stretch of shining water. . . .”

“Shining water?” Leopardstar interrupted. “You mean a river?”

Leafpaw shook her head. 

“No, not a river. These waters were smooth, not churning. I could see Silverpelt reflected, all the stars shining as clearly as if they were swimming in the sky.”

“Is that all?” Blackstar demanded.

“Spottedleaf was there too, and she told me StarClan would find us,”

“So we should head for water?” Tallstar mewed hopefully.

Leafpaw’s ears twitched. 

“I think it was just a dream,” she whispered. “I’ve had no sign from StarClan since.” She looked unhappily at her paws. “I’m beginning to think I just dreamed what I wanted to.”

“Then we have nothing,” Blackstar muttered, turning away.

“Are you sure it was just a dream?” Brambleclaw asked Leafpaw.

“I don’t know.”

“Wait,” Cinderheart’s mew spoke up. “You mentioned a great span of water, right?” Leafpaw nodded, confused. Cinderheart’s tail curled. “That must be the lake! It’s what the span of water is called. The lake is in the center of all our territories.” Dovewing nodded.

“She’s right. The lake borders all of our territories.”

“Then we’ll just have to keep going.” Brambleclaw meowed as he padded out from the trees. A grassy bank sloped down in front of him to a narrow valley. Beyond, a ridge rose into the indigo sky, its curving side shadowed by forest.

As the cats began to pad out of the copse, still blinking and stretching, Needlepaw and Alderpaw wandered around the cats, and spotted Leafpaw glancing up at the sky. Clouds obscured the stars.

“Don’t worry about the sign.” Firestar’s voice surprised Leafpaw, and she turned to find him standing beside her. “You are still an apprentice medicine cat,” he murmured. “You shouldn’t feel responsible if StarClan wishes to remain silent.” Needlepaw nudged Alderpaw, flicking her ears at Firestar.

“You should take his advice,” she meowed quietly. “You’re still worrying about the shadows and sky prophecy.” Alderpaw scuffled his paws.

“I know…” he sighed. “But I can’t help it sometimes.” Needlepaw pressed against him as Leafpaw gazed gratefully into Firestar’s emerald eyes. The Thunderclan leader went on. 

“I’m proud of you. And Squirrelpaw too—even though Cinderpelt’s prophecy frightened me for a while.”

“Cinderpelt’s prophecy?” Leafpaw echoed. Needlepaw’s thoughts echoed Leafpaw’s words. She gave Alderpaw a questioning look, and he gestured to Firestar.

“StarClan’s sign that fire and tiger would destroy the Clan.” Needlepaw blinked.

“I don’t get it.” she meowed. Alderpaw puffed out a laugh.

“You’ll see.”

“Now I think I understand what it meant.” Firestar gazed after Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw as they led the cats down into the valley. Their fur glowed like the moon and its shadow in the gloom. “The daughter of Firestar and the son of Tigerstar did destroy the Clan,” he meowed. “But not as I feared they would. They led us from our old home, away from danger and into the unknown. Many would have been put off by the difficulties that faced them, but they held onto their faith and brought us all to safety.” He glanced at Rowanclaw and Crowfeather prowling protectively on either side of the Clans. “The cats who first crossed the mountains—whether they are still with us or live among other warriors—will always be honored by every Clan for their courage.” Needlepaw’s mouth opened in a silent ‘ooh’ of understanding.

Firestar flicked his tail, then bounded away to catch up with Sandstorm. Needlepaw and Alderpaw dashed off, looking for Sparkpaw. The three of them padded along, side by side, enjoying each other’s company. Needlepaw then heard Squirrelpaw’s voice drifting from up ahead. 

“I can smell prey and leaves and ferns like we had back in the forest!” Squirrelpaw bounded back to Leafpaw and Sorreltail. Needlepaw, Alderpaw, and Sparkpaw couldn’t help but to listen in. “I hope we get some sort of sign here.” She peered through the trees to where Brambleclaw’s pelt flitted through the shadows like a fish. “I hope he’s all right. He’s hardly spoken today.”

“He’s just worried,” Leafpaw reassured her.

“What do you think the sign will be?” Sorreltail fretted.

Leafpaw shook her head. 

“I don’t know,” she admitted.

Beneath the trees, Needlepaw could hardly see a pawstep in front of her, but she followed the scents of her friends as they climbed steadily upward.

“Doesn’t this spot look...familiar?” Sparkpaw meowed, eyes flicking around. Alderpaw stifled a gasp.

“It does!” he meowed. “It looks like-”

“The border of Riverclan.” Needlepaw breathed. They exchanged one look, then took off running to the front.

As if every cat were waiting for something, tension rippled through the Clans, stiffening muscles and making pelts bristle. No cat spoke as they reached the top of the ridge. They filed along its treeless crest in a single line, silhouetted against the murky sky. Lionblaze’s tail was twitching, as well as his nose, amber eyes bright as he recognized some scents. Jayfeather’s ears were pricked, and he began weaving around bushes and plants like he knew the basic layout of the land. A cool wind breathed over them, and Needlepaw felt it ruffle her fur. She closed her eyes for a moment and sent a desperate prayer to StarClan.  _ Please let this be it, please, please, please... _

The breeze grew stronger, tugging at her fur, and far above them the clouds shifted to reveal the moon, shining round and bright onto the cats below. Needlepaw opened her eyes, and her breath caught in her throat. On the far side of the ridge, the ground sloped steeply away to a vast, smooth expanse of water. All the stars of Silverpelt were reflected in the lake, glittering silver against indigo-black, as if they were swimming in the night sky.

Needlepaw’s heart flooded with joy as Sparkpaw let out a victorious yowl. She knew with all her heart that they had reached the end of their journey. She lifted her gaze. The distant horizon was reddening as dawn began to push away the night, gradually revealing more of the Clans’ new home.  _ There’s Shadowclan’s pines, Thunderclan’s woods, Windclan’s moors, and Riverclan’s marsh! We’re home! _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The Clans enter their new territory*
> 
> Needlepaw, Alderpaw, & Sparkpaw: COUNTRY ROOOOOOOAAAAADS.......TAKE ME HOOOOOOOME......TO THE PLAAAAAACE.......I BELOOOOOOOONG..........FROM THE FOOOOOOREST.......TO THE LAKE SHOOOOOORE.........TAKE ME HOOOOOOOOME.......COUNTRY ROOOOAAAAADS!!
> 
> Who likes my edited version of 'Country Roads' by John Denver? :-D


	26. Jayfeather Goes Into Espionage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi, meant to post this last night, but I had a butt-load of homework to get through. GAAAAH!!!! Hope you like, we are officially in Starlight!

Moonlight washed over the hillside, casting heavy shadows around a thick wall of thorn bushes. The bushes surrounded a hollow with rocky sides that sloped down steeply to a pool in the shape of a full moon. Halfway up the side of the hollow, a trickle of water bubbled up between two moss-covered stones, glimmering like liquid starshine as it fell into the pool below.

Jayfeather gazed around, immediately recognizing the place as the Moonpool. He knew he was dreaming, but he bounded forward and paused at the edge of the pool, savoring being back. He circled around the hollow, and was momentarily hidden by the shadows. The gray tabby froze.

The branches rustled and parted as cats emerged at the top of the hollow and began to pick their way down to the water’s edge. Their pelts shone with a soft, pale light, and their pawsteps left a frosty glitter on the moss behind them. A tortoiseshell she-cat was the first to reach the pool. She looked around with glowing eyes. 

“Yes,” she purred. “This is the place.”  _ Spottedleaf! _ Jayfeather thought, remaining in the shadows.

“You’re right, Spottedleaf. When we chose the four cats to lead the Clans out of the forest, we chose well.” The reply came from a blue-gray warrior who was approaching from the other side of the hollow. She leaped down from a jutting rock to face the tortoiseshell across the moonlit water.  _ Bluestar! _ “But the Clans still have a hard task ahead of them.” Spottedleaf dipped her head in agreement. 

“Yes, Bluestar. Their courage and faith will be tried to their limits. But they have come this far—they will not give up.”  _ Oh great...what now? _

More starry warriors joined them, clustering around the water until the hollow was lined with their sleek, shining shapes.

“Our journey was hard, too,” one cat meowed.  _ Is that...Raggedstar? _

“We felt the pain of leaving the paths we had walked for so long,” added another.  _ There’s Redtail. _

“Now we must learn to walk in new skies.” Spottedleaf ’s voice was full of confidence. She sat on a rock near the tum- bling stream and wrapped her tail around her paws. “We must guide our Clans to this new meeting place, where we can speak to the leaders and medicine cats. Then this will truly be home for all five Clans.” Jayfeather stifled a snort.  _ You’re forgetting one.  _ He was rather ticked off about how Skyclan had been treated, and then blotted from memory. The medicine cat, though not very vocal about it, was silently supporting finding the lost clan.

A murmur of agreement rose, and a gleam of hope shone in the eyes of the cats around her.

“They will catch fish from the lake,” one cat meowed.  _ Oakheart. _

“And prey is running in the hills and beside the water,” another put in. _Hmmm… Heatherstar, I’m guessing._ “All the Clans will find food, even in leaf-bare.” Bluestar still seemed uneasy. 

“There’s more to life than fresh-kill,” she mewed.

A bracken-colored tom, Oakheart, thrust his way to the front of the crowd. 

“They’re not kits,” he pointed out impatiently. “They know how to avoid Twolegs and their dogs. Foxes and badgers, too.”

“Not all trouble comes from Twolegs,” Bluestar snapped. She swiveled her head to glare into the tom’s eyes. “And not from foxes or badgers either, Oakheart. You know that as well as I do. The Clans bring trouble within themselves.” Jayfeather silently gave a minet nod. The clans were  _ always _ bickering about something or other. It was in their nature.

The warriors glanced uneasily at one another, but Oakheart dipped his head. 

“Of course. And they always will. That is part of what it means to be a warrior.”

“Trouble from within greatest danger brings.” A new voice spoke, deep and gravelly. Jayfeather blinked, eyes wide with surprise as Bluestar whipped around, her neck fur rising, and stared at the newcomer standing at the top of the hollow. It was too big and solid to be a cat. Instead, it seemed as if a clot of darkness had entered the circle of thornbushes, in which the watching cats could just make out broad, muscular limbs and the gleam of small, bright eyes.  _ Midnight... _

After a few heartbeats Bluestar relaxed. 

“Welcome, friend,” she meowed. “StarClan owes you thanks. You have done well.”

“By me is little done,” the newcomer replied. “These cats their destiny have faced with courage.”

“The Clans have traveled far and suffered a great deal of sadness that we were powerless to ease,” Spottedleaf agreed. “They kept going even when we lost sight and hearing of them among the mountains, when they walked the paths of a different Tribe. Now they must learn to be four Clans again.” She looked solemn. “There will be much pain, especially for those who traveled together to the sun-drown-water. They won’t find it easy to forget their friendship.”

“They must mark out their new territories as soon as they can.” Oakheart’s voice rumbled in his throat. “There’ll be trouble there.”

“Every loyal warrior will want the best for their Clan,” meowed Bluestar.

“So long as it is their Clan that they fight for,” returned Oakheart, “and not themselves.”

“That’s where the danger lies,” murmured an anxious voice. A tomcat with a glossy black coat was gazing down into the silvery water as if he could see danger rising to the surface like a giant fish. Jayfeather tilted his head.  _ Nightsytar, I presume.  _ “I see one cat, hungry for power that is not deserved. . . .” Jayfeather’s lips drew into a snarl. He knew  _ exactly _ who Nightstar spoke of. His sister’s murderer, or the past version of him.

“Not deserved?” A lean tom with a crooked jaw sprang to his paws on the other side of the pool, the fur on his shoulders bristling in fury.  _ Crookedstar. _ “Nightstar, how dare you say ‘not deserved’?” Jayfeather silent hissed. He hated Hawkfrost with every hair on his pelt. Yes, he hadn’t done anything yet, but it was hard to look at that tom and not think ‘murderer’.

Nightstar’s pelt rippled in the moonlight as he looked up. 

“Very well, Crookedstar, not deserved  _ yet _ ,” he meowed. “This cat needs to learn the virtue of patience. Power is not a piece of prey to be grabbed before it escapes.”  _ Wise words, _ Jayfeather thought.  _ Except Hawkfrost clearly didn’t learn patience. _

The cat with the crooked jaw sat down again, though the anger stayed in his eyes. 

“Would you have all our warriors as timid as mice?” he muttered.

Nightstar’s eyes narrowed and his tail-tip twitched, but before he could spit out a reply another cat padded forward: a thick-furred gray she-cat with a broad face and a fierce gleam in her eyes. Jayfetaher straightened up.  _ Yellowfang! _ She stood beside Spottedleaf at the mossy edge of the pool and gazed down into the water. After a few moments, ripples began to spread in circles from the middle of the pool and wash against the bank.

Yellowfang lifted her head. 

“I have seen what will come,” she growled. “There are dark times ahead.” jayfeather narrowed his eyes as a stir of anxiety passed through the cats like wind rippling through reeds, but no cat dared to question her out loud.

“Well?” Bluestar demanded when the silence had stretched out for several heartbeats. “Tell us what you mean, Yellowfang.”  _ Do tell, _ Jayfeather thought dryly.  _ Not like I have anything else to worry about. _ The gray she-cat hesitated. 

“I am not certain what I have seen,” she rasped at last. “And you won’t like what I have to

tell you.” She closed her eyes, and when she spoke her voice was deeper and quieter than before, so that every cat, including Jayfeather, had to strain to listen:  _ “ ‘Before there is peace, blood will spill blood, and the lake will run red.’” _

Jayfeather flattened his ears and let out a strangled hiss as he recognized the prophecy. Bluestar stiffened, for one wild moment Jayfeather thought she had heard him, then she bent her head to look into the water. Jayfeather’s breath caught in his throat as a terrible red stain spread across the surface, rippling outward until the water flamed scarlet. It seemed to reflect the fire of sunset, yet above the hollow the moon still floated in thin drifts of cloud.

A gasp of horror rose from the cats. Spottedleaf padded forward, trembling, and stared desperately into the water as if she were searching for something that would challenge Yellowfang’s ominous words.

“Are you trying to find out what will happen to Firestar?” Bluestar asked her gently. “Don’t search too hard, Spottedleaf. You of all cats should know that sometimes there is nothing we can do.” Spottedleaf raised her head, and there was a fiercely determined light in her eyes. 

“I would do anything to help Firestar,” she hissed. “I will protect him with all the power of StarClan.”

“But even that may not be enough,” Bluestar warned her.

Around them, the warriors of StarClan began to pad away from the pool, climbing the slope and slipping back through the thornbushes until the shimmer of their pelts vanished and the only light in the hollow came from the reflection of the moon in the water.

In the shadows, Midnight remained a moment longer, watching in silence until the last cat had gone. Then she stirred, and a shaft of moonlight struck her powerful shoulders.

“Young healer,” she rumbled, eyes fixed on Jayfeather’s hiding spot. He slowly extracted himself from the shadows and gave Midnight a respectful nod. She studied him before saying; “You heard what Starclan say. Blood will spill blood, this cannot change.” Jayfeather’s tail swished.

“I understand.” he meowed. “Brambleclaw will have a tough path ahead of him.” Midnight nodded.

“Yes. Only by the bramble’s claws, will the frost of a hawk be stopped. If not, fire will fade into embers, and the tiger will stand victorious.” Jayfeather sucked in a breath.

“Right,” he muttered. “Another prophecy. Just great. At least this one is easy to figure out, and self-explanatory.”  **(This is just me poking fun at my ‘amazing’ prophecy making skills. XD)**

“May meet again,” Midnight rummbled. “But time will tell.” Jayfeather dipped his head before he faded out back into the waking world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Midnight: *Gives prophecy*
> 
> Jayfeather: Here we go again...


	27. Squirrelpaw: Now A Full Ninja

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Only chapter for today! Hope you like!

Brambleclaw stood at the top of the slope, gazing at the clawpricks of silver fire reflected in the lake below. The Clans had finally found their new home, just as Midnight had promised. StarClan was waiting for them, and they were safe from the Twoleg monsters at last.

Around him warriors from all four Clans murmured to each other, staring uneasily at the dark, unfamiliar space at the foot of the hill.

“It’s impossible to tell what’s down there in this light.” Brightheart, a ginger-and-white ThunderClan warrior, swung around so she could take in the whole of the landscape. Her mate, Cloudtail, twitched his tail. 

“How bad can it be? Think what we’ve come through to get here. We can fight off anything on four legs.”

“And what about Twolegs?” demanded Russetfur, the ShadowClan deputy.

“The journey has left us all tired and weak,” Blackclaw of Riverclan added. “Foxes and badgers could track us down easily when we’re all out in the open like this.”

For a moment Brambleclaw felt a tremor of fear. Then he braced his shoulders. StarClan would not have brought them here if they did not believe the Clans could survive in their new territories.

“What are we waiting for?” a new voice spoke up. “Are we going to stand here all night?”

Stifling a mrrow of laughter, Brambleclaw turned to see his Clanmate Squirrelpaw standing behind him. The ginger apprentice was tearing the tough, springy grass with her front paws, her green eyes glowing with anticipation. “Brambleclaw, look!” she purred. “We did it! We found our new home!”

She tucked her hindlegs under her, ready to dash down the hill, but before she could take off, Firestar pushed through the cats and stood in her way.

“Wait.” The ThunderClan leader touched his daughter’s

shoulder affectionately with the tip of his tail, green eyes just like hers glittering with amusement. “We’ll go together, and keep a sharp lookout for trouble. This may be the place that StarClan wished us to find, but they would not expect us to leave our wits in the forest.”

Squirrelpaw dipped her head respectfully and stepped back, but when she shot a sideways glance at Brambleclaw, he saw that her eyes still gleamed with excitement. For Squirrelpaw, their journey’s end could not possibly be scary.

Firestar padded over to join Blackstar and Leopardstar, the leaders of ShadowClan and RiverClan. 

“I suggest we send a patrol ahead,” he meowed. “Just a couple of cats, to find out what it’s like down there.”

“Good idea—but we can’t just stand here and wait for them to return,” Leopardstar objected. “It’s much too exposed.”

Blackstar grunted in agreement. 

“If a fox came along now, it could pick off the weaker cats with no trouble at all.”

“But we also need to rest.” Deafoot of WindClan came up to join the discussion. His leader, Tallstar, lay on the ground a little way off, with the medicine cat Barkface crouching over

him. “Tallstar can’t go much farther.”

“Then let’s send the patrol right away,” Firestar suggested, “and the rest of us will follow more slowly until we find somewhere more sheltered.” Blackstar called Russetfur over to him, while Leopardstar signaled with her tail for her deputy, Stonefur. Deadfoot summoned Gorseheart, and Firestar signaled Icefoot.

“I want you to go as far as the lake, then come straight back,” Leopardstar ordered. “Find out what you can, but be quick, and stay out of sight.”

The four cats flicked their ears, then whirled and raced away, loping along with their bellies close to the ground; within a couple of heartbeats they had vanished into the darkness.

Firestar watched them go before letting out a yowl to call the rest of the cats around him. Deadfoot went back to Tallstar and nudged the old leader to his paws. Their Clans clustered together behind the leaders of ThunderClan, RiverClan, and ShadowClan and began to follow them down the slope toward the lake.

“What’s the matter?” Squirrelpaw demanded, noticing that Brambleclaw wasn’t moving. “Why are you standing there like a frozen rabbit?”

“I want . . .” Brambleclaw glanced around and spotted Rowanclaw padding past a little way off; he summoned him with a jerk of his head. “I want all of us to go down together,” he explained when the ginger tom joined them. “All the cats who made the first journey.”

Four cats remained from the six who had left the forest in search of a new home many moons ago. They had gained something very precious on that journey, as well as a safe place for their Clans to live: a strong bond of friendship had been forged between them, stronger than rock and deeper than the endless water that washed against the cliffs where Midnight the badger lived.

Now Brambleclaw wanted to travel with his friends one more time before their duties to their separate Clans forced them apart.

Rowanclaw gave a nod of approval. 

“Where’s Crowfeather?” he asked.

Brambleclaw looked up and spotted the young WindClan warrior a few tail-lengths away, anxiously pacing beside Tallstar. The WindClan leader looked so exhausted he could hardly put one paw in front of the other; his long tail dragged on the ground and he was leaning heavily on the brown tabby warrior Onewhisker. The WindClan medicine cat, Barkface, walked close behind, a worried look on his face.

“Hey, Crowfeather!” Squirrelpaw called.

The WindClan cat bounded across. 

“What do you want?”

Brambleclaw ignored his unwelcoming tone, being quite used to it. Crowfeather’s tongue was sharp enough to slice your ears off, but if danger threatened he would fight to his last breath to defend his friends.

“Travel down to the lake with us,” he urged. “I want us to finish the journey how we started—together.”

Crowfeather bowed his head. 

“There’s no point,” he murmured. “We’ll never be together again. Stormfur lives in the mountains now, and Feathertail is dead.”

Brambleclaw ran his tail lightly over the young warrior’s shoulder. He shared his grief for the beautiful RiverClan cat who had sacrificed her life to save Crowfeather and the Tribe cats from the terrible lion-cat known as Sharptooth. Then Feathertail’s brother Stormfur had stayed with the Tribe of Rushing Water because of his love for the prey-hunter Brook. Brambleclaw missed him bitterly, but knew that pain was nothing compared to the agony Crowfeather felt over Feathertail’s death.

“Feathertail is with us now,” Squirrelpaw insisted, coming to join them. Her eyes shone with the strength of her belief. “If you don’t know that, Crowfeather, you’re even more mousebrained than I thought. And we’ll see Stormfur again, I’m sure. We’re closer to the mountains here than we were in the forest.”

Crowfeather let out a long sigh. 

“Okay,” he meowed. “Let’s go.”

Most of the cats had gone past them already, moving cautiously across the unfamiliar territory, keeping close to each other as they had done throughout the long and dangerous journey to get here. A little way ahead, Brambleclaw saw Mothwing, the RiverClan medicine cat, walking beside a group of apprentices from all four Clans. On the far side of a patch of gorse, the ground fell away into a grassy hollow.

Tallpoppy, a ShadowClan queen, was struggling to guide her kits down the steep slope; Cloudtail and Brightheart from ThunderClan darted over to help, each picking up a kit in their jaws. Farther down the slope, Cedarheart, a gray ShadowClan tom, prowled along the edge of a thorn thicket, his gaze flicking back and forth as he kept watch for foxes and badgers that might be looking for easy prey. Copperleaf and Creekflower were sticking close to the elders, making sure none of them fell behind.

If he had not known these cats all his life, Brambleclaw would not have been able to distinguish one Clan from another; they walked side by side, helping one another. He wondered grimly how long it would be before they were divided again, and how painful that separation would be.

At an impatient exclamation from Squirrelpaw—

“Come on, Brambleclaw, or we’ll leave you to make a den for yourself here!”—he headed down the slope, pausing every so often to draw in the night air. The scent of cat was strongest, but beneath it he could detect the scents of mouse and vole and rabbit. He couldn’t remember when he had last eaten; surely the leaders would allow them to hunt soon?

He was imagining the delicious taste of fresh-kill when he was startled by a hiss from Tawnypelt, who was a couple of tail-lengths ahead of him with Snowflight. “Look at that,” spat his sister, pointing with her tail.

Brambleclaw’s ears pricked when he saw the thin mesh of a Twoleg fence shining like a huge cobweb in the pale dawn light. Two or three of the other cats had paused to stare apprehensively at it as well.

“I knew we’d come across Twolegs sooner or later!” Squirrelpaw meowed with a disgusted twitch of her tail. Brambleclaw tasted the air again. He could pick up the scent of Twolegs, but it was faint and stale. There was another, less familiar scent too, and he had to think hard before he remembered what it was.

“Horses.” Crowfeather confirmed his guess. “There’s one over there.”

He gestured with his tail, and Brambleclaw noticed a large, dark shape standing under a clump of trees some way inside the fence. He thought there was another one beside it, though it was hard to tell in the shadows cast by the branches.

“What are horses?” Whitepaw mewed worriedly as she peered through the fence.

“Nothing to worry about,” Tornear from WindClan reassured her, touching the apprentice’s shoulder with the tip of his tail. “They used to run across our territory sometimes, with Twolegs on their backs.”

Whitepaw blinked as if she couldn’t quite believe him.

“We saw some of them on our journey to the sun-drown-place,” Brambleclaw added. “They didn’t take any notice of us when we crossed their field. It’s the Twolegs looking after them that we need to watch out for.”

“I can’t see any Twoleg nests,” Snowflight pointed out. “Maybe these horse things look after themselves.”

“Let’s hope so,” meowed Brambleclaw. “Horses alone shouldn’t bother us.”

“Provided we stay away from their clumsy feet,” added Squirrelpaw.

The cats followed the Twoleg fence until they came to a thicket of trees where the other cats were gathering. Glancing around, Brambleclaw spotted Cinderpelt, the ThunderClan medicine cat, and her apprentice, Leafpaw, Squirrelpaw’s sister. Beside them were Jayfeather and Alderpaw, with Sparkpaw and Needlepaw pawing impatiently at the ground beside the dark red tom. Dovewing was looking around, ears pricked, green eyes gleaming as she took in the area. Bramblelcaw realized that she, along with the other future cats must feel like they were coming home. Cinderheart was grooming Lionblaze, her mate, and for a split second the two toms made eye-contact. Bramblelcaw was a tad bit unnerved to see an unreadable look in the golden tom’s light amber eyes. What did he have on his mind?

“What’s going on?” Squirrelpaw demanded, jerking Brambleclaw’s attention to her. “Why are we stopping?”

“The patrol the leaders sent has just come back,” Cinderpelt explained.

Following her gaze, Brambleclaw saw the leaders of the four Clans and the WindClan deputy, Deadfoot, standing close together beside a tree stump. Stoenfur and Russetfur, who had been sent on the patrol, faced them. Gorseheart and Icefoot were nearby, but a respectful distance away. The other cats had sunk down on the short, springy grass around the tree stump, glad of the chance to rest.

With the others behind him, Brambleclaw weaved through the cats until he was close enough to hear what the Clan leaders were saying.

Stoenfur was just giving his report: 

“The ground’s very boggy by the lake. There’s no point going any farther until daylight. We don’t want to lose any cats in the mud.”

“ShadowClan is used to wet ground underpaw,” Blackstar reminded him, before any of the other leaders could comment. “But we’ll stay with the rest of you if that’s what you want.” There was an edge to his tone, as if ShadowClan were granting them a huge favor by not going ahead to explore on their own.

Brambleclaw narrowed his eyes. It seemed too soon for the Clans to begin competing with one another over who claimed which part of the new territory. He had grown used to having all four Clans around him, ignoring the differences that had kept them apart for more seasons than any cat could remember. He was also afraid that some cats were weaker and more exhausted than others, which might make any clashes more damaging than they needed to be.

A snort from Needlepaw drew his attention. The silver tabby was rolling her eyes at her leader, and Blackstar shot her an unimpressed look.

Whiskers twitching momentarily from amusement at the sight of apprentice and leader, Bramblelcaw hoped the leaders would decide to stay where they were for the rest of the night. The hills were still close enough to cut down the force of the wind, and the trees provided even more welcome shelter. A strong scent of prey drifted from the shadows, and his paws itched to hunt.

“I think we should stay here,” Firestar meowed, to Brambleclaw’s relief. “We all need to rest, and it sounds pretty uncomfortable by the lake.”

Leopardstar murmured agreement. Before Firestar had finished speaking, Tallstar collapsed onto his side and lay there panting, as if he couldn’t manage a single pawstep more. Deadfoot stalked up to him, sniffed him briefly, and spoke a word or two in his ear.

“Tallstar looks exhausted,” Brambleclaw murmured to Crowfeather. “This is his last life, isn’t it?”

Crowfeather nodded, his face somber. 

“He’ll be fine now that we’re here,” he meowed, though Brambleclaw suspected that he was trying to convince himself as much as any other cat.

Blackstar leaped up to the top of the tree stump. The powerful white tom stood with tail held high, his huge black paws planted on the rough wood. He let out a commanding yowl, and the faces of all the cats turned toward him to listen.

“Showoff.” he heard Needlepaw mutter. Alderpaw shushed her while Sparkpaw snickered.

“Cats of all Clans!” Blackstar called as the last stragglers came up. “We have reached the place StarClan meant us to find, but we are all tired and hungry. We will make camp here until we have rested.”

“Who asked him to speak for the leaders?” Squirrelpaw muttered. Her green eyes flashed indignantly as Brambleclaw, spotting a couple of ShadowClan warriors within earshot, silenced her with a flick of his tail across her mouth.

“What about fresh-kill?” a cat called from the back.

“We will wait until sunrise,” Blackstar replied. “Then the prey will be running and there’ll be enough for us all.”

“Meanwhile we ought to keep watch,” Firestar added, leaping up beside Blackstar so that the ShadowClan leader had to step back a pace. “Deputies, find two or three warriors who can stay awake for a while longer. We don’t want foxes sneaking up on us while we’re asleep.”

Deadfoot, who seemed to be speaking for WindClan since Tallstar was so weak, meowed his agreement, followed by the RiverClan leader, Leopardstar. The brief meeting broke up and the cats began looking for places to sleep. Barkface nudged Tallstar to his feet and helped him to a clump of long grass, where the frail WindClan leader lay down again, trem- bling from nose to tail. Onewhisker sat close to him and began to lick his fur gently.

“I guess I’ll be needed,” Crowfeather mewed, and he loped away to join the other WindClan cats.

Rowanclaw touched noses with Bramblelcaw. “I’d better check in with Russetfur,” he meowed. “See you later, Brambleclaw.” He and Squirrelpaw had a mini stare-off before the Shadowclan tom meowed; “Stay out of trouble, Squirrelpaw.”

“Only if you do.” the dark red she-cat meowed. Rowanclaw’s whiskers twitched, then he whisked around, heading for a group of his Clanmates who were clustered around the ShadowClan deputy.

Brambleclaw wondered if he ought to volunteer to keep watch. Even though he had been a warrior for fewer than four seasons, ThunderClan needed every cat to help feed and protect their Clanmates—especially since they had lost their deputy just before leaving the forest. Shivering, Brambleclaw remembered how Graystripe had been trapped by Twolegs and carried away inside a Twoleg monster. He glanced at Firestar to see his leader giving orders to Sorreltail, Brackenfur, Stonebrook, and Lightningfur. He guessed he wouldn’t be needed right away, so he looked around to see if any of the other ThunderClan cats could use his help.

Dustpelt stood in the shadows beneath the trees with his

mate, Ferncloud, and their kits Birchkit and Larchkit, the only ones of their latest litter to survive the lack of prey back in the forest. Ferncloud was crouched over Longtail, nosing him anxiously as he lay in the grass. Longtail was not many seasons older than Dustpelt, but he had been forced to join the elders when his eyesight failed; the journey from the forest had been par- ticularly hard for him. Goldenflower, Brambleclaw’s mother, lay close to his flank on the other side. She was the oldest ThunderClan queen, and Brambleclaw realized with a pang of sympathy that she looked too weary to do anything more than press her warm fur against Longtail. Beside them were Brindleface and Willowpelt, along with Whitestorm, Thunderclan’s deputy before the powerful warrior had decided to retire.

Dustpelt nudged the pale tabby tom’s shoulder. 

“Come on, Longtail,” he meowed. “Not far now.”

As Squirrelpaw bounded over to help, Brambleclaw spotted a sheltered place where the ground fell away a couple of tail-lengths beyond the clump of trees; grass grew thickly there, and a few bushes with low-growing branches.

“What about making a den over there?” he suggested, pointing with his tail.

“Good idea,” meowed Dustpelt. He nosed Longtail again. “It’s all right, Longtail; you can sleep as long as you want once we get you to a more sheltered place.”

“Yes,” Willowpelt meowed, licking Longtail’s ear. “We all can just relax once we're all settled down.” 

Longtail heaved himself to his paws; Squirrelpaw padded beside him with her tail curled around his neck to guide him. Brambleclaw let Goldenflower lean on his shoulder, while Ferncloud encouraged her kits to follow. Larchkit batted at Brindleface’s tail, and the gray speckled she-cat purred, making her tail twitch so Larchkit had to jump around to catch it.

“This had better be the place we’re looking for,” Dustpelt remarked, looking around at the exhausted cats. “None of us have the strength to travel any farther.”

Brambleclaw didn’t reply. He knew Dustpelt was right—but he couldn’t tell him for sure that this was the place StarClan had meant them to find. He watched the others slide between the branches and settle into the piles of dry leaves under the bushes. Catching a glimpse of Leafpaw padding past with a mouthful of moss for bedding, he recalled the medicine cat apprentice’s unquestioning faith that their warrior ancestors had made the journey with them.

He wished he could feel the same certainty. All along he had clung to the belief that their troubles would be over when they reached their new territory. Now, daunted by the strangeness of everything around him, he could see they were only just beginning.

Squirrelpaw’s voice broke into his thoughts. 

“Dustpelt, do you want us to hunt for you?”

Her mentor flicked her ear with his tail. 

“No, we’ll all hunt later. Look at you; you’re asleep on your paws. Go with Brambleclaw and get some rest.”

“Okay.” Squirrelpaw’s jaws split into an enormous yawn.

“What about under that gorse bush?” Brambleclaw led the way to the spot he had pointed out a few tail-lengths up the slope, and crawled under the lowest boughs.

Squirrelpaw followed him and curled into a tight ball with her tail over her nose. 

“Good night,” she murmured indistinctly. Brambleclaw scrabbled in the debris underneath the bush until he had made a comfortable nest. Curling up close to Squirrelpaw, he breathed in her warm, familiar scent. He was glad that they had not made a proper camp yet, where warriors and apprentices would have their separate dens. He would miss sleeping next to Squirrelpaw, he realized with the last flicker of conscious thought. Then sleep covered him like the lapping of a soft black wave.

Alderpaw gently woke, yawning as he shook his head to clear it. Thunderstar had visited again, and the apprentice was determined to tell Firestar about the Great Battle, and what had to be done. Beside him slept his sister, Sparkpaw, her orange coat pressed against his own dark red, and Needlepaw lay on Sparkpaw’s other side. Alderpaw was glad that the two had worked out whatever tension there was before. He didn’t know  _ why _ they had been so wound up around each other, but they had clearly worked through it and the two were now great friends.

A cold breeze blew, ridging the surface of the lake and rattling through the reeds that edged the shore. Alderpaw slowly stood up, stretched, and slid out from under the bush he shared with his closest friends. The shining gray water stretched in front of him for almost as far as he could see; above the hills that rose on one side, a glow in the sky showed where the sun would shortly rise. Back the way they had come, the land sloped up more gently to bare moorland. The Twoleg fence stretched across it, and in the growing light Alderpaw could just make out a couple of Twoleg nests in the distance. 

Farther around the lake, below the hills, was a smudge that looked like gray-green mist; Alderpaw realized it was a mass of leafless branches, stretching along the shore and up to the crest of the ridge. His heart lifted to think that soon he could be underneath trees again, the trees he had been born under and learned every inch of before the whole time-travel debacle went down.

At the far end of the lake the gray smudge of trees darkened, and Alderpaw recognized them as Shadowclan’s pines, still green in the depths of leaf-bare. They covered the ground like a gently rippling pelt as the wind stirred them. The glow on the horizon grew too bright to look at as the sun edged up; the last stars were fading, and the sky was a clear, pale blue.

“Time to hunt,” Brambleclaw’s meow brought Alderpaw’s head swiveling around. His father was talking to Squirrelpaw, who was standing beside him. The two were looking around, probably searching for a patrol to join. Alderpaw straightened as Firestar emerged from a nearby gorse thicket with Leopardstar, Blackstar, and Deadfoot. The leaders must have been holding a meeting, Alderpaw guessed, and he felt a twinge of concern to see Deadfoot in Tallstar’s place, representing WindClan. He checked the area, and was relieved to find the Windclan leader asleep beside Onewhisker.

Firestar leaped onto the tree stump where the leaders had addressed the Clans yesterday. Blackstar jumped up beside him, and Deadfoot scrambled up on the other side. There was barely room for all three cats to stand together on the flat top of the stump, so Leopardstar did not try to join them, but sat on a twisted root at the base.

“We’ll need a new place to hold Gatherings,” Alderpaw heard Squirrelpaw remark. Alderpaw glanced at the island, and felt a flash of trepidation. There was no tree bridge. How would the clans get across?

Firestar’s yowl, calling the Clans together, interrupted his thoughts. Stems of grass and fern parted, and the branches of bushes shook as the cats emerged from their sleeping places. They all looked thin and worn, easy prey for any hostile creatures the territory might conceal, and they glanced around nervously, as if they could feel hungry eyes burning into their pelts on every side. Sparkpaw and Needlepaw emerged from the bush and the three of them hurried down to join the others at the stump.

“Cats of all Clans,” Firestar was announcing as the three reached their Clanmates. “Today there are decisions to be made and tasks to be carried out—”

“Hunting patrols should go out right away,” Mudclaw interrupted, shouldering himself to the front of the crowd. “WindClan should take the hills and RiverClan can fish in the lake. ThunderClan_”

His Clanmate Onewhisker sprang to his paws with a hiss of anger. 

“Mudclaw, what are you doing, giving orders like this?” he growled. “The last time I looked, Tallstar was still leader of WindClan, and Deadfoot was deputy!”

“Some cat has to take charge,” Mudclaw went on. “Or do you want the other Clans to divide the territory among themselves and leave WindClan out?”

“As if we would!” Squirrelpaw hissed indignantly.

Onewhisker glared at Mudclaw, his fur bristling and his eyes blazing with fury. 

“Show a bit of respect!” he spat. “Tallstar was the leader of our Clan when you were a kit mewling in the nursery.”

“Enough!” Deadfoot yowled. His green eyes were filled with anger. “Mudclaw, it is not up to you to make decisions for our clan. I can assure you that Windclan will not be left out of territory. We spoke to Jayfeather and Dovewing, and they pointed out what borders they have in their time, and they look to be perfectly reasonable.

Mudclaw looked furious. His jaws parted, but before he could speak he was forestalled by Blackstar.

“If WindClan has a problem over their leadership, let them discuss it in private. We’re wasting time.”

Mudclaw let out an angry hiss and pointedly turned his back. Alderpaw, ever since he had come back in time, had realized that Mudclaw was one of the most aggressive cats in all four Clans, and he had never liked Firestar or ThunderClan. 

Firestar’s voice interrupted his troubled thoughts. 

“I would like to start ThunderClan’s life here by honoring a new warrior. Squirrelpaw, where are you?” Sparkpaw perked up.

“What? Me!” In her astonishment, Squirrelpaw squeaked like a kit. She sprang to her paws, her ears pricked and her tail standing straight up.

“Yes, you.” Alderpaw saw a gleam of amusement in Firestar’s eyes as he beckoned to his daughter. “ThunderClan owes you more than I can say for making the journey to sun- drown-place, and helping lead the Clans to this new home. Dustpelt and I agree that if ever an apprentice deserved her warrior name, you do.”

Brambleclaw stretched out and gently touched his muzzle against the tip of Squirrelpaw’s ear. 

“Go on,” Alderpaw heard him murmur. “Firestar is right. You deserve to become a warrior after everything you’ve done for the Clan.”

She blinked at him, too shocked to speak, then turned and picked her way to the tree stump where Firestar was waiting.

Before she reached it, her mother, Sandstorm, stepped forward. Squirrelpaw stopped in front of her. Sandstorm’s eyes glowed with pride as she gave her daughter a few swift licks to smooth her fur. Alderpaw watched Leafpaw come over as well to press her muzzle against her sister’s side. Leafpaw caught Alderpaw’s eye and nodded. She understood why he and Sparkpaw were excited for her sister’s ceremony. The brown tabby was one of the ones who originally didn’t know about their heritage, but Alderpaw had confided in her while they had been held captive by the Twolegs.

Squirrelpaw’s mentor, Dustpelt, padded up to lead her the rest of the way to the stump, and he stood beside her as they waited for Firestar to speak. Firestar leaped down and blinked encouragingly at Squirrelpaw before lifting his head to address the gathered cats. 

“This is the first time any cat has spoken these words in our new home,” he began. “I Firestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn.”

There was a burning intensity in his eyes, and Alderpaw understood how much this moment meant to Firestar, not just for ThunderClan but for all four Clans that had journeyed here from their home far away. By calling upon StarClan to make a new warrior, they were claiming this unfamiliar place as their own. There had been many, many times on the journey when they had feared they had left their warrior ancestors behind, but Firestar addressed them now as confidently as if their starry spirits glowed overhead.

“Squirrelpaw,” the ThunderClan leader was saying, “do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

Squirrelpaw’s reply rang out clearly. 

“I do.”

“Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Squirrelpaw, from this moment you will be known as Squirrelflight. StarClan honors your courage and your determination, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan.”

Firestar rested his muzzle on Squirrelflight’s head, and she gave his shoulder a respectful lick. Determination was an unusual virtue to mention in the warrior ceremony; in Squirrelflight, it sometimes showed as stubbornness, and had led her close to trouble more than once. When she stepped away from Firestar, Leafpaw bounded up to her, greeting her by her new name. 

“Squirrelflight! Squirrelflight!”

Her call was taken up by the cats around them.

Squirrelflight looked around, her green eyes shining with pride. All four Clans seemed pleased that she had been given her warrior name—but then, all four Clans had had plenty of opportunity to see how much she deserved it. As Alderpaw and the two she-cats at his side thrust their way forward, he saw Rowanclaw and Crowfeather heading toward her, too. Those who had made the journey to Midnight’s cave would always have the most special bond with Squirrelflight.

“Congratulations,” Rowanclaw meowed, while Crowfeather nodded and rested his tail-tip on her shoulder for a moment.

Brambleclaw pressed his muzzle to hers. 

“Well done, Squirrelflight,” he murmured. “Mind you,” he added teasingly, “you’ll still have to pay attention to senior warriors.”

Squirrelflight’s eyes gleamed with wicked amusement.

“You can’t order me around now—I’m not an apprentice anymore!”

“I can’t see that it will make much difference,” Dustpelt put in, overhearing her. “You never did as you were told anyway.”

Squirrelflight let out a mrrow of laughter and affectionately butted her former mentor on his shoulder. “I must have listened to something,” she meowed. She blinked, and added, “Really, thanks for everything, Dustpelt.” Tawnypelt and Snowflight then bounded forward to congratulate her.

The meows of welcome died down as Blackstar stepped forward and signaled with his tail for silence. 

“This is all very touching, but now we must find out about this new place so that we can start establishing our new territories. We’re going to send a patrol with one cat from each Clan to explore the lakeshore and the land around it.”

“We decided to send three of the cats who made the first journey together,” Firestar went on. “Brambleclaw from ThunderClan, Crowfeather from WindClan, and Rowanclaw from ShadowClan.”

“Stonefur will go for RiverClan,” meowed Leopardstar, speaking for the first time. “But what about me?” Squirrelflight protested. “I went on the journey too. Why can’t I go on the patrol?”

“Because that would make two cats from ThunderClan,” Blackstar replied crushingly. 

“A patrol of four cats isn’t enough to go into unknown territory,” she objected.

Blackstar opened his mouth to disagree, but Firestar spoke first. 

“She could be right,” he pointed out. “I think we should let her go. It could be her first warrior task. She can’t sit vigil tonight like other new warriors, as we have no proper camp.”

Blackstar glanced at Leopardstar, who twitched her tail, giving nothing away, and then at Deadfoot, who dipped his head. 

“WindClan has no objection,” he meowed.

“Very well,” Blackstar growled. “But don’t think for one moment that will give ThunderClan any extra rights over the territory.”

“Of course not,” Firestar replied evenly. “Squirrelflight, you may go with the patrol.”

Squirrelflight’s tail curled up in delight.

“Go all the way around the lake, and explore as much of the surrounding land as you can,” Firestar instructed. “We need to know what kind of territory it is, and where the best hunting places will be. Think about the different sorts of hunting each Clan will require, because it might help with setting boundaries later on. It would be good to get an idea of how the territory could be split up, and where might be good places for camps. And keep a close watch for Twolegs, or anything else that might be dangerous.”

“Is that all?” Crowfeather muttered.

“I reckon you’ll need two days to travel all the way around the lake,” Firestar went on. He lifted his head and narrowed his eyes as he peered across the water, trying to judge the distance. “Try not to spend too much time exploring. We’re exposed to danger while we stay here, so we need to get all the Clans settled as soon as we can.”

“We’ll do our best, Firestar,” a new voice called out. Stonefur, the RiverClan deputy, padding over to join them.

“Hi, there,” Bramblelcaw mewed, moving up to make room for him. Stonefur looked wary about joining the close band of cats that had made the first journey.

“Good luck,” called Leopardstar, and Firestar added, “May StarClan go with you all.”

Alderpaw, Sparkpaw, and Needlepaw watched as the patrol set off before heading over to see what they could help with, while Alderpaw, once again, thought of talking to Firestar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *When Squirrelflight becomes a warrior*
> 
> Alderpaw & Sparkpaw: *Fangirl/boy screeching*
> 
> Leafpaw: Awwww, they sure do love their mom.


	28. Jayfeather Leaves Leafpaw A Hint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heya! How's it going? Only chapter today, I'm afraid.
> 
> Let me know what you think! (I miss your comments. I LIVE FOR YOUR COMMENTS!) XD

Leafpaw stopped halfway up the slope and turned to watch her sister and the rest of the patrol make their way down to the lake. From the tingling of her own fur, she could tell how excited Squirrelflight was, not just at the prospect of exploring the new territory, but because she was with the friends she had made on the journey to sun-drown-place once more. For a few heartbeats Leafpaw felt almost breathless with envy, wishing that she could have a bond that strong, based on that depth of trust and that many shared experiences, with another cat.

Her gaze was drawn to the lean, gray-black shape of Crowfeather. Of all the others, he was the hardest to understand. Leafpaw wished she knew him better. He seemed the least willing to trust cats from another Clan, yet during the long journey through the mountains she had seen him put himself in danger over and over to help cats who weren’t from WindClan. Leafpaw’s pelt prickled, making her shiver from nose to tail. Something told her Crowfeather had an important path laid out by StarClan, but she had no idea where it might lead—nor was there any reason for StarClan to let her know the destiny of a cat from another Clan.

She jumped as something brushed against her shoulder, and turned to see Cinderpelt gazing at her with wise blue eyes.

“Do you wish you were going with them?” the medicine cat asked.

Leafpaw hesitated. She was a medicine cat, not a warrior— her duties lay with her weak and exhausted Clan. So why did she feel a tug in her paws to follow the little patrol that was padding away along the line of the shore? Her mind flooded with an image of bounding after them to walk alongside Crowfeather, who was bringing up the rear; she drew in her breath sharply, almost able to feel his dark gray pelt brush against hers as they picked their way over the tufts of boggy grass.  **(LEAFCROW!)**

“Are you all right?” mewed Cinderpelt, looking at her closely.

Leafpaw blinked. 

“Yes, I’m fine. Of course I don’t want to go with the patrol. There’s enough work for me here.”

“That’s true,” Cinderpelt meowed. “We have four Clans of exhausted cats to look after, and our stock of healing herbs barely amounts to a couple of leaves and a pawful of crushed berries.”

Leafpaw gulped, suddenly wondering if she should have gone with the patrol after all to look for new supplies of medicine.

“We’re going to meet with the other medicine cats,” Cinderpelt went on. “We need to discuss what to do about finding new herbs, and how we are going to share tongues with our warrior ancestors when we are so far from Highstones.” She gazed up at the sky, where the half-moon drifted behind wisps of cloud, and her voice dropped to barely a whisper. “I hope we find another Moonstone place soon.”

“Maybe Jayfeather and Alderpaw know.” Leafpaw meowed. Cinderpelt paused, then nodded.

“We’ll ask them.”

She gestured with her tail, and Leafpaw saw her friend Mothwing, the RiverClan medicine cat, sitting in the shelter of a bramble thicket with Littlecloud, the medicine cat from ShadowClan. Jayfeather was laying on the ground, blue eyes fixed on the sky like he was trying to read them, and Alderpaw was chattering with his sister and Needlepaw. Those three’s friendship seemed to have gotten much stronger, and Leafpaw knew that it might be hard for them to separate back into their clans. Around them, warriors and apprentices from all four Clans were dividing into groups as the hunting patrols prepared to leave.

Cinderpelt waited until most of the patrols had gone before joining the other medicine cats. Leafpaw bounded over to touch noses with Mothwing.

Mothwing blinked nervously at her. 

“I feel so helpless!” she murmured into Leafpaw’s ear. “I have no supplies, and the cats are so tired and weak.”

Leafpaw wasn’t surprised that her friend was anxious. Although Mothwing had trained as a warrior and received her warrior name several seasons ago, she had not been a medicine cat apprentice for as long as Leafpaw. The death of Mudfur before they left the forest meant that she had to take on all the responsibilities of a medicine cat before she had finished her training. Leafpaw felt a wave of gratitude that Cinderpelt was still alive, and young and strong enough to live for many, many more moons. She was in no hurry to lose her mentor, and she didn’t envy Mothwing at all. But she reminded herself that Mothwing had been taught well, and she would be able to ask the other medicine cats for advice if she needed to. Besides, in this new place they would all have things to learn.

She gave Mothwing’s ear a quick lick. 

“You’ll be fine,” she promised. “We’ll all help you.”

Cinderpelt glanced around. 

“Where’s Barkface?”

“Still with Tallstar, I guess,” Littlecloud replied. He let out a sigh. “I’m not sure there’s much any cat can do for him now.” Jayfeather rose and summoned Alderpaw with a flick of his tail. The dark red tom touched noses with Needlepaw and Sparkpaw before dashing over.

Leafpaw flinched at Littcloud’s words. It didn’t seem fair that StarClan should summon the WindClan leader to join them when he hadn’t even seen his Clan’s new home.

“Here he comes now.” Cinderpelt twitched her ears to where Barkface was approaching with his head bowed and his tail trailing.

“How is Tallstar?” Littlecloud demanded.

Barkface heaved a sigh from the depths of his belly as he flopped down under the brambles beside the other medicine cats. 

“Sleeping,” he replied. “He is very weak. The journey has been too much for him, and it is clear that StarClan is waiting for him to join them.”

“Isn’t there anything you can do?” Leafpaw meowed.

Barkface shook his head. 

“We may have traveled all the way from the forest, but Tallstar has a longer journey than all of us ahead of him. He has been a noble leader, but he cannot go on forever.”

“All the Clans will honor him,” Cinderpelt murmured. She bowed her head for a moment and then straightened up, giving her fur a shake. “Meanwhile there are tasks that we must do.”

“We need to look for herbs,” Mothwing meowed. “Disease could spread easily when we’re all tired and hungry.”

“True,” replied Jayfeather. “Alderpaw and I are familiar with those trees over there,” he gestured to the forest on the other side of the lake. “But I doubt anyone fancies taking a trip over there just yet.” there was a murmur of agreement.

“Soon we’ll go and search around here, and hope that StarClan leads us to what we need. But before that. . . .” Cinderpelt’s voice trailed off, and she scratched at the ground with her forepaw before she went on. “There may be a patrol out looking for new camps for each Clan, but we need more than that if this is to be our home. Where are the Clans going to gather at full moon? What about the Moonstone? It’s many days’ journey from here to Mothermouth.”

“I can answer those,” Jayfeather meowed, tail curled over his paws. “There’s an island in the lake that we use for Gatherings. And there is a Moonstone, but it’s called the Moonpool.”

“The thing is,” Alderpaw pipped up. “It’s also all the way over there,” he pointed with his tail over to the forest and moor.

“But does it really matter if we do have one?” Mothwing then asked. “I mean, there’s nothing to stop us from finding the right herbs, and. . . .”

Her voice died away as the other medicine cats stared at her in astonishment. Leafpaw winced; how could Mothwing believe that the only task of a medicine cat was to heal? Jayfeather and Alderpaw, for some reason, exchanged quick glances. Mothwing’s gaze flicked from one cat to the next, uncertainty and embarrassment in her eyes.

“Mothwing means we can carry on looking after our Clanmates while we wait for StarClan to speak to us,” Leafpaw meowed helpfully.

Mothwing turned to her in relief. 

“Yes—yes, that’s right.” Jayfeather narrowed his eyes, not buying it, but nodded.

Cinderpelt’s ears twitched.

“I suppose we could start restocking our supplies,” meowed Littlecloud.

Barkface heaved himself to his paws. 

“If you don’t mind, I ought to stay with Tallstar. But I’d be grateful for some coltsfoot, if you can find it. He’s having trouble breathing.”

“There’ll be no coltsfoot leaves until newleaf,” Mothwing pointed out anxiously. “Would juniper berries do as well?”

Barkface nodded. 

“Quite right. Thanks, Mothwing.”

“We’ll bring you some,” Cinderpelt promised.

With a brief grunt of thanks, Barkface padded to the clump of grass where Tallstar lay, an unmoving heap of black and white fur. Leafpaw saw him exchange a word or two with Onewhisker, who was keeping vigil beside his dying leader. Then he settled down with his flank touching Tallstar’s, letting the old cat know that he would not be alone as he began his long, dark journey.

“Well done, Mothwing!” Leafpaw mewed. “I didn’t think of using juniper berries instead.”

Mothwing turned her head to give Leafpaw’s ear a quick lick. 

“Where shall we go first?”

Cinderpelt stood up stiffly, favoring the leg she had injured long ago on the Thunderpath. 

“If we go that way,” she began, gesturing with her tail, “we’ll end up in the Twoleg horseplace. I think we should head the opposite way, closer to the lake.”

“Firestar says it’s boggy there,” Leafpaw reminded her.

“There’s all sorts of good stuff growing in bogs,” meowed Mothwing. She gave Leafpaw a gentle flick around the ear with her tail. “If you were a RiverClan cat, you wouldn’t mind getting your paws wet!”

“And I wouldn’t mind catching a frog or a toad to eat,” mewed Littlecloud. When the other cats glanced at him in surprise, he added defensively, “They don’t taste that bad! There were always plenty in ShadowClan’s territory, even when the rest of the prey was scarce.”

As they drew nearer to the lake the tough moorland grass gave way to sedge and moss. The ground was spongy, and water oozed up around Leafpaw’s paws at every step.

“I hope it’s not all like this,” she muttered to herself, pausing to shake droplets of water from each paw. Looking ahead, she saw that although this stretch of marshland reached right down to the lake, trees were growing on the bank farther around, and in the distance a wooded tongue of land stretched out into the water.  _ That might be a good place for a camp, _ she thought.

She broke into a run to catch up the others, and found them standing beside a large clump of horsetail; farther away were more clumps of the big, healthy plants. Leafpaw’s spirits rose.

“This is excellent,” Cinderpelt meowed. “It never grew as well as this in our old territory. We’ll collect some on our way back. Leafpaw, what is it used for?”

Leafpaw wasn’t sure she liked being questioned in front of the other medicine cats as if she had barely started her training, but at least she knew the answer. 

“Infected wounds,” she answered promptly.

“That’s right,” meowed Littlecloud. “And we’re going to need it. The cats have picked up all kinds of scratches and scrapes on the journey.”

Cinderpelt nodded. 

“We must remember where to find it.”

She set off again, and the other cats followed. Leafpaw was pleased when she was the first to spot a clump of water mint, one of the best cures for bellyache.

“But we’re never going to find Barkface’s juniper berries down here,” Mothwing pointed out, leaping over a tiny stream. “It’s much too wet.”

“Why don’t you , Leafpaw, and Alderpaw head away from the shore?” Cinderpelt suggested. “I can see bushes over there. Some of them might be juniper.”

“Sure.” Mothwing swerved away from the water, heading toward the ridge they had crossed on the previous night. Leafpaw followed close behind, relieved to feel drier, harder ground under her paws.

When they reached the higher ground, they pushed their way into a sheltered thicket of trees. Leafpaw quickly recognized the spiky dark leaves and purple berries of juniper bushes among the undergrowth.

“Just what we need,” she mewed happily, beginning to bite off some of the stems.

When they had collected as much juniper as they could carry, they turned back toward the lake. Emerging from the trees, Leafpaw spotted the tiny, indistinct figures of Cinderpelt, Jayfeather, and Littlecloud in the distance, following the water’s edge. From up here, she realized that what she had thought was a wooded spur of land stretching out into the lake was actually an island, separated from the shore by a narrow channel of water.

“Is that the island Jayfeather talked about?” she asked Alderpaw. He nodded, unable to speak due to the herbs in his mouth.

Mothwing’s eyes shone. “That would make a great place for a Gathering!” she exclaimed. “It’s big enough for all the Clans, and nothing would disturb us there.” Snatching up her collection of juniper stems, she bounded off toward the other medicine cats.

Leafpaw picked up her own stems and followed more slowly, Alderpaw a few paces behind. Mothwing hadn’t given her the chance to point out that only RiverClan cats felt confident about swimming, and none of the other Clans would be able to reach the island. It was a pity, because Mothwing was right: the island would be a perfect place for all the Clans to meet, safe from predators and Twolegs.  _ But, Jayfeather said that they do use it for Gatherings. How did they all get over there? _

All six cats padded down to the edge of the lake to have a closer look. The ground was drier here, falling away into a rocky shore with a few tough thorns rooted in cracks.

“It looks safe enough,” meowed Cinderpelt, “but how would we get there? Do you fancy telling the elders that they have to swim every time they want to go to a Gathering?”

Jayfeather was frowning.

“Alderpaw, is the tree bridge there?”

“No, it’s not.” his apprentice replied. “I see the tree, but it’s not tipped over.”

“....that may be a problem.” Jayfeather muttered.

“Maybe the water shallow enough to wade?” Leafpaw suggested diplomatically, though she wasn’t keen on finding out. By the look on Jayfeather’s face, he wasn’t either.

“I could swim over there and have a look,” Mothwing offered.

Cinderpelt nodded. 

“If you want to.”

Mothwing didn’t need any more encouragement to launch herself down the rocks toward the water.

“Be careful!” Leafpaw called after her.

Her friend waved her tail in acknowledgment before wading out into the lake. Soon the water reached her belly fur and she had to swim, pushing through the water with strong, confident strokes.  _ So it wasn’t possible to wade all the way to the island, _ Leafpaw thought. She narrowed her eyes against the sunlight reflected in the water as she tracked the small dark head bobbing through the waves.

Behind her Littlecloud meowed, 

“Why don’t we hunt while we’re waiting? I’m so hungry I could eat a badger!”

His words made Leafpaw conscious of her own grumbling belly, but she did not move until she had seen Mothwing reach the shore of the island; she pulled herself out of the water and waved her tail cheerfully at Leafpaw before vanishing among the bushes. Alderpaw was pawing at the lake water, making it ripple. Leafpaw’s whiskers twitched as she remember how she and Squirrelflight used to do the same whenever they found a puddle.  _ Must have picked it up from us. _ She thought as she trotted up to him. She took a quick look around and then asked him;

“Squirrelflight and I used to do the same.” Alderpaw paused, paw hovering over the water. He had a sheepish look in his amber eyes.

“Sparkpaw and I do it to. Squirrelflight was actually the one who got us into it. Brambleclaw always sprang back whenever the water came too close to him.” he pricked his ears. “One time Squirrelflight shoved in into the lake. He was alright, but he was completly soaked!” Leafpaw purred in amusement.

“Did he push her back?”

“Yep, he grabbed her and pulled her in with him.” Alderpaw licked his paw. “Then Sparkpaw had the  _ great _ idea of pushing me in, and then jumped in afterward. Jayfeather threw a fit when we came back to camp.”

“Well, you should have know better then to let Sparkpaw’s ideas form,” Jayfeather snarky mew said. He sat down on Alderpaw’s other side. “I take it Leafpaw knows about who your parents are?” Alderpaw nodded.

“I told her while we were trapped by the Twolegs.” Jayfeather nodded. “Pretty sure you can have it come out to everyone soon.”

“What about your parents?” Leafpaw inquired. “Will you tell who yours are?”

Jayfeather was caught off guard by this.

“No...some already know, but I can’t tell. Not yet.” Leafpaw tilted her head, studying him. He met her gaze. “You have a suspicion on who one of my parents are, don’t you?” Leafpaw scuffled at the ground.

“Yes…” she trailed off. Jayfeather flicked his ear.

“Guess.”

“You have a very similar figure to Crowfeather, and you, him, and Ashfoot all share the same eye color.” Leafpaw began. “And I know your sister was black and had green eyes, kind off like Crowfeather’s father, Deadfoot.” Jayfeather blew out a sigh.

“Well, you know one of them.” Leafpaw blinked. “Yes, Crowfeather is my father.” Jayfeather meowed softly. “I didn’t find out until a little after I received my full name.”

“Wait,” Leafpaw meowed slowly. “You lived many moons of your life without knowing your father?” Jayfeather paused.

“You could say that.” he said evasivly. “My mother thought it was for the best that myself and my siblings didn’t know. But,” he paused, like he was thinking about if he should actually say what he was thinking. Then he said, nearly in a whisper; “I think it would have been better if we knew the truth from the start.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Jayfeather giving Leafpaw advice on what to do in the future, without letting her know*
> 
> Jayfeather: So, instead of duping the clan into thinking we're our aunt's kits instead of our actually mom's, I suggest NOT doing that. Bad idea. Will backfire.
> 
> Leafpaw, confused: Why-
> 
> Jayfeather, ignoring her: And instead of hiding who our dad is, she should just TELL US!
> 
> Leafpaw, growing concerned: Jayfeather, are you-
> 
> Jayfeather, pouring his heart out: MOM SHOULD HAVE JUST KEPT US! WE WOULD HAVE WORKED THROUGH IT TOGETHER!
> 
> Leafpaw, to Alderpaw: Should I get a therapist?
> 
> Alderpaw:.....that would probably be best.
> 
> Jayfeather, hugging Lionblaze: MOM, WHY?!?!
> 
> BTW, I love Leafpool. This is no Leafpool hate. I love her. <3


	29. Brambleclaw Starts Sorting Out His Family Problems (With Help From Tawnypelt)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 30 everyone! 14 more to go!

In twilight they slipped along the edge of the lake, past the fence of the horseplace. All Brambleclaw’s senses were alert for dogs and Twolegs, but they saw nothing except for one huge horse looking over the fence. Squirrelflight jumped as it blew out a noisy breath, then hissed to hide how startled she had been.

Moments later they heard a loud meow coming out of the darkness. 

“Who’s there?”

“It’s okay, Hawkfrost, it’s only us,” Stonefur called.

The RiverClan warrior emerged from the shadows, his powerful shoulders flexing smoothly under his tabby pelt.

“Leopardstar and the other leaders sent me to look out for you,” he meowed. “They’re all expecting you. Follow me.”

Brambleclaw blinked. It was strange to think that he and Hawkfrost were kin, both sons of Tigerstar. They were alike in so many ways, yet Brambleclaw struggled to feel any kinship or loyalty to the RiverClan warrior. He was too quick to order other cats around, too openly hungry for power in his Clan, and he made Brambleclaw ask himself questions about their shared inheritance that he would have preferred to ignore. Such as, where did Hawkfrost’s ambition come from? Did he share Tigerstar’s hunger for power at any cost? And if he had inherited this from their father, what did that mean for Brambleclaw?

Hawkfrost led them to the trees near the horseplace where the Clans had stopped to rest the day before. Firestar and Blackstar were talking together beside the tree stump, but otherwise the clearing looked deserted.

As soon as the patrol appeared, Blackstar leaped up on the stump and let out a yowl. 

“Cats of all Clans! Gather around!”

At once the shadowy shapes of cats began to appear out of hollows and clumps of long grass. One or two jumped down from low-hanging branches. Deadfoot pushed his way through his Clanmates, paused, and offered Leopardstar to joined Blackstar on the stump. The Riverclan leader nodded her thanks and Deadfoot settled himself on the ground next to the stump.

Firestar padded over to stand in front of Brambleclaw.

“Welcome back,” he meowed. “No trouble, I hope?” he asked, green eyes concerned.

“Nothing we couldn’t handle,” Brambleclaw replied. He glanced guiltily at Squirrelflight as he remembered the fight they had nearly lost against the kittypets, but he did appreciate Firestar’s concern over them.

“One of you had better come up on the stump so we can all hear you,” Firestar decided. “Stonefur, would you like to join us?”

Stonefur dipped his head. 

“Actually, Firestar, I think Brambleclaw should speak on behalf of the patrol. He has more experience with describing unknown places.”

Brambleclaw looked quickly at him, but there was no edge to the RiverClan deputy’s words. Instead he stepped back to let him reach the tree stump. 

“Thanks,” he murmured as he went past. Stonefur just blinked.

Brambleclaw bunched his hindlegs underneath him and sprang onto the stump. It was a tight squeeze, and his flank brushed against Blackstar’s as he shuffled around to face the cats below. The ShadowClan leader drew away with the faintest hiss, but Brambleclaw tried not to let Blackstar’s hostility ruffle his fur. His heart pounded at the thought of describing the long journey around the lake to all four Clans.

The cats gazed up at him, and Brambleclaw could feel their hunger for his news pulsing through the air. Briefly he wondered if this was what it was like to be a Clan leader, with every cat hanging on his words.

Then he heard Dustpelt’s voice raised impatiently above the rustle of the branches overhead. 

“Get on with it, Brambleclaw! Tell us what you found.”

Brambleclaw swallowed uncomfortably, wondering where to start. He couldn’t say that choosing a new home was not all he had hoped for. In spite of Midnight’s directions, the dying warrior, the starlight reflected in the lake, he didn’t feel as if the Clans truly belonged in this territory. It was too easy to imagine Twoleg monsters tearing through the woods, turning the ground to mud and shattering the walls of the stone hollow until the newly built ThunderClan dens were exposed to the sky, and every cat was as helpless as a newborn kit. . . .

But that wasn’t what the Clans wanted to hear, and none of the other cats on the patrol had seemed to doubt that this was where they belonged now.  _ They could be right, _ Brambleclaw told himself firmly. They had proved that the Clans could live here; what more could he expect? Alderpaw and Sparkpaw had their ears pricked, eyes gleaming with...was that admiration? Tawnypelt gave him an encouraging nod from her place next to Snowflight.

“It’s good news,” he began, taking a deep breath. “We have found territories that are suitable for all the Clans—reeds and water for RiverClan, pine forest for ShadowClan, leafy woods for ThunderClan, and moorland for WindClan.”

As murmurs of excitement broke out, Leopardstar meowed.

“What about prey?”

“There seems to be plenty,” Brambleclaw replied, “given that it’s leaf-bare. We didn’t go hungry, that’s for sure.”

“And Twolegs?” queried another cat—Brambleclaw thought it was a ShadowClan warrior, but he couldn’t be sure.

“We saw some evidence that they visit places around the lake, but there are none there now,” he meowed. “Stonefur thinks there’ll be more of them around in greenleaf. That’s when they used to bring their kits to swim in the river, back in the forest.”

He noticed several of the cats glance anxiously at each other, and felt the familiar tremor of fear at the thought of what Twolegs had brought to the forest, apart from their kits.

He was relieved when Stonefur added, 

“We’ll be able to keep out of their way. They won’t be a big problem.”

“Well . . . that’s all.” Brambleclaw wasn’t sure what else to say. “Maybe each of us should tell our own Clans what we saw in more detail.”

“We need to decide where the boundaries will be,” Blackstar growled.

“Right,” meowed Firestar from where he was sitting at the base of the stump, next to Deadfoot. “We can do that when we have a clearer idea of each territory.”

“And maybe the futures can help us out.” Deadfoot suggested. Lionblaze nodded as Firestar meowed;

“Thanks, Brambleclaw.”

Brambleclaw dipped his head gratefully at his leader; he may have led his friends to sun-drown-place and back again, and explored the territory around the lake, but he felt as helpless as a kit among the other Clan leaders. His fur prickled, and he noticed Hawkfrost staring at him from the edge of the cats seated around the stump. Twitching his ears uncomfortably, Brambleclaw jumped down. He winced as Hawkfrost came over to meet him and braced himself for a hostile comment, perhaps a challenge about where the new boundaries should be.

To his surprise, there was a friendly gleam in the RiverClan warrior’s blue eyes.

“Thanks for finding the new territories, Brambleclaw,” he meowed. “I’m almost sorry that we’ll be going our separate ways now. I’d have liked to hunt with you.”

Brambleclaw blinked. Warriors of different Clans could not hunt together—but that wasn’t the real reason Hawkfrost’s suggestion startled him. Did the RiverClan warrior feel something like kinship with him?

“Well, we’ll meet at Gatherings,” he began.

“Hey, Brambleclaw!” Snowflight’s mew called as he and Tawnypelt trotted over, with Squirrelflight close by. “Firestar is waiting for us.”

“Get a move on, slow-poke!” Tawnypelt teased. Brambleclaw playfully nudged her.

“Says the one who has to be dragged out of her nest each morning!”

“And Leopardstar will be waiting for me, I guess.” Hawkfrost meowed. He dipped his head in farewell and padded away.

“What did he want?” Squirrelflight asked when Hawkfrost was out of earshot. 

“Just came over to thank me for helping to find the territories,” Brambleclaw replied. Tawnypelt tilted her head.

“Huh. Weird. He was kind of rude to me and Snowflight while you two were gone.”

“Really?” Brambleclaw asked.

“Yep.” Snowflight meowed, yawning. “Leafpaw also told us about how he threatened to drag Sorreltail to Leopardstar after she  _ barely _ crossed the border. He’s bad news if you ask me.”

“He wishes Stonefur had never come back, so that he could still be deputy. I’ve heard him arguing with him more than once.” Tawnypelt meowed quietly as they began walking. Brambleclaw narrowed his eyes.

“So you think he might have ambitions on getting the deputy position then?” he asked. His sister shrugged.

“He might,” at the expression of her brother’s face she then reassured him; “Don’t worry, just because Hawkfrost is our kin, doesn’t mean we  _ have _ to like him. We can be friendly, but, to be honest, I wouldn’t want to associate with him.” Squirrelflight nodded, agreeing.

“You’re right,” Brambleclaw said, relaxing. He had been worried about where Hawkfrost got hsi ambition from, and what it meant for himself. He didn’t really have a reason to talk with Hawkfrost, but he could be courteous. Brambleclaw had his sister with him, as well as his mother, Squirrelflight, Snowflight, and the rest of Thunderclan. He didn’t have a  _ need _ to bond with his half-brother. He had his family right with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brambleclaw's family, as of now:
> 
> Mom: Goldenflower
> 
> Dad: Firestar
> 
> Mate: Squirrelflight
> 
> Sisters: Tawnypelt, Leafpool, & Mothwing
> 
> Brothers: Snowflight, Frogspeck, & Hawkfrost
> 
> Future Nieces: Hollyleaf & Dawnpelt
> 
> Future Nephews: Lionblaze, Jayfeather, Flametail, & Tigerheart
> 
> Future Sons: Alderpaw & Juniperkit
> 
> Future Daughters: Sparkpaw & Dandelionkit
> 
> Some are by blood, some are adopted, some you doesn't like, but they are family.


	30. Crowfeather, You Need To Get A Girlfriend (*Cough Leafpaw Cough*)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, mislabeled it, THIS is chapter 30. Whoopsie.

When Brambleclaw had finished speaking and leaped down from the tree stump, Alderpaw and Sparkpaw dashed over to where Squirrelflight was at, excited at the prospect of coming back to their camp, to their  _ home _ .

“It’s a stone hollow, with walls all around,” Squirrelflight was mewing. “There’s plenty of space inside for dens, the nursery, even a training area.” Brambleclaw was beside her, their pelts brushing as she went on.

“Is this hollow empty?” Dustpelt asked. He was sitting in front of Squirrelflight with Ferncloud at his side; their kits were rolling around in the grass with Tallpoppy’s three kits, all far too excited to sleep. “It would be just like you, Squirrelflight, to expect us to camp in a badger’s set.” Brambleclaw snorted at that, amber eyes filled with mirth.

Squirrelflight’s tail curled up indignantly 

“Dustpelt, I promise I’ll eat any badgers you find in there. Foxes, too. We didn’t scent anything like that.” 

Dustpelt grunted as Squirrelflight then shoved Brambleclaw.

“I think it sounds great.” Brightheart stepped up to Squirrelflight and pressed her muzzle against the younger warrior’s side. “How did you find it?”

“I . . . well, I fell into it,” Squirrelflight admitted.

Cloudtail let out a snort of laughter as Creekflower shook her head, eyes amused.

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

“Now look⎯” Squirrelflight spun around to face the white warrior, but before she could say any more a yowl rose into the air.

“Cats of all Clans!”

Alderpaw turned to see that Cinderpelt had climbed onto the stump, the moonlight turning her gray fur to silver. She signaled with her tail for silence, and the excited mewing gradually died away.

“Before we separate and go into our own territories,” the ThunderClan medicine cat meowed, “we must decide where we’re going to hold the next Gathering. StarClan will expect us to meet together when full moon comes.”

“But where?” asked Russetfur, the ShadowClan deputy.

“Did the patrols find anywhere like Fourtrees?”

Stonefur, who was sitting near the base of the stump, rose to his paws. 

“No,” he replied, raising her voice so all the Clans could hear her. “Nowhere like that. But we didn’t have time to explore everywhere properly.”

“Jayfeather told us that in his time we use the island in the lake, but there was a tree bridge to get them all across. There’s no tree bridge there right now.” Littlecloud spoke up from where he was sitting beside Russetfur and Blackstar. Mothwing then meowed;

“It’s safe, sheltered, and not too far away. Perfect for Gatherings.”

“But we’d have to swim to get there!” The protest came from Mousefur, a ThunderClan warrior. “I’m not swimming in that lake every full moon, not if StarClan themselves come down and beg me.”

“And what about the elders?” croaked Runningnose, the former ShadowClan medicine cat.

A chorus of agreement rose up. Alderpaw glanced worriedly from one face to another. How did that tree bridge come to be? He cast a questioning look to Jayfeather, but he shrugged, clearing not knowing how. Hawkfrost padded over to stand next to Mothwing.

Dipping his head politely to Cinderpelt, he meowed, 

“May I suggest that I take a patrol of RiverClan cats to explore the island more fully? If the Clans can’t use it for Gatherings, it sounds like the ideal place for the RiverClan camp.”

Almost before he had finished speaking, Stonefur took a pace toward him. 

“I already told you where RiverClan are going to camp,” he mewed quietly, the fur on his neck bristling. “There’s a place where two streams meet, not far from the lake, with trees for shelter, and no sign that Twolegs come near, even in greenleaf.”

“But think how safe the island would be,” Hawkfrost pointed out. “We’d have a lake full of fish right outside our dens. Have you thought that your choice of camp might be too open? And that Thunderpath you mentioned can’t be far away.”

Stonefur bristled. 

“Are you questioning my judgment? I know what my Clan needs.”

Hawkfrost curled his lip, and Alderpaw tensed, half expecting the two RiverClan warriors to leap at each other.

“Enough!” The word, spat out, came from behind Alderpaw. He turned to see Leopardstar stalking up to her quarreling warriors. “Do you want to shame RiverClan?”

Hawkfrost stepped back, and the fur on Stonefur’s shoulders lay flat, though Leafpaw could tell it took some effort.

“Hawkfrost, you can take a patrol to the island if you wish,” Leopardstar went on. “We’ll make a decision about where to site the camp when you come back.”

“Of course, Leopardstar,” Hawkfrost meowed, dipping his head. “I’ll pick some other cats and leave as soon as it gets light.” He stepped back, and was instantly surrounded by his Clanmates, all clamoring to come with him to the island. A few fox-lengths away, Alderpaw spotted movement. But when he turned to look, all he caught was a dark tabby tail, looking like it was made from shadows.

Leafpaw shivered. It had been strange to see such an open challenge to Mistyfoot’s authority. Hawkfrost must feel very confident of his place within the Clan if he dared to pick a fight with his deputy in front of his leader as well as the other Clans.

Leafpaw thought she could see the same concern in her mentor’s blue eyes as Cinderpelt called for silence again. 

“So,” she meowed, “where shall we meet for the next Gathering?”

“We’ll have to come back here,” Firestar decided. “Unless StarClan shows us a different place before the next full moon.”

Mudclaw pushed his way forward to face Firestar. 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. We’re much too close to that Twoleg nest on the other side of the horseplace.”

“That can’t be helped,” Blackstar replied, and Firestar nodded.

“We’ve been here for two days and nights now, and we haven’t had so much as a sniff of a Twoleg. But if you have a better idea, let’s hear it.”

Mudclaw lashed his tail. 

“Suit yourself,” he snarled. “The great Firestar’s word is law, as always.” Leafpaw heard Sparkpaw hiss as Mudclaw stalked away.

The cats began to slip away from the tree stump, back into the shadows. Ferncloud signaled with her tail for her kits to come to her. 

“It’s time you got some sleep, little one. We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow.”

Birchkit and Larchkit abandoned their play fight with Tallpoppy’s kits and bounced over. 

“Can Toadkit and Applekit and Marshkit come too?” he asked.

“No, we belong to ShadowClan,” Tallpoppy explained gently. “We’ll have our own territory now.”

“But that’s not fair!” Larchkit wailed, and all five kits clustered together, gazing at the two queens with huge, pleading eyes. “If they can’t come, I don’t want to go.”

Leafpaw flinched. They were so innocent! They had no idea how different their lives had been from the lives of their older Clanmates. Their earliest memories would be the horror of starving in the forest, every cat fearing for its life, until they found new friends when the Clans came together for the exhausting trek through the mountains. They had no sense of Clan rivalry, or the importance of being a warrior in the service of one Clan alone. They probably hardly knew there were four Clans at all.

“Don’t be so silly.” Ferncloud padded over to her kit and gave his ears a sympathetic lick. “That’s the warrior code. When you’re apprentices you’ll meet again at Gatherings.”

“It won’t be the same,” Toadkit muttered, with a mutinous look at his mother.

“And there are no other ThunderClan kits for us to play with,” Birchkit added sadly.

Ferncloud and Tallpoppy looked at each other, and Leafpaw saw genuine regret in their eyes—it wasn’t just their kits who had made strong friendships across Clan boundaries.

Finally Tallpoppy dipped her head and gathered her three kits around her with a sweep of her tail. 

“Say good-bye now,” she mewed briskly.

“Good-bye,” Toadkit and Marshkit chorused, while Applekit darted up to Birchkit and touched her nose to his.

“Good-bye.” Birchkit and Larchkit stared after their friends as they padded away, and then turned to follow teir mother, both of their tails drooping.

Leafpaw felt her heart ache for the lonely kits, and for all the cats who would miss friends they had made in other Clans. A couple of tail-lengths away she spotted Thornclaw saying good-bye to Ashfoot and Onewhisker from WindClan; he jumped guiltily when he saw Leafpaw watching, as if he felt he had been disloyal to his Clan by becoming friends with them.

“It’s okay,” Leafpaw meowed, padding over to touch noses with the ThunderClan warrior. “It’s hard to give up new friends like this.”  _ I’m one of the lucky ones, _ she thought gratefully.  _ I can still be friends with Mothwing _ . Clan divisions weren’t so important to medicine cats, especially where the other medicine cats were concerned.

She decided to go and ask Cinderpelt if there was anything she could do to help the cats prepare for tomorrow. As she wove her way through the other cats, she came across Crowfeather standing over a WindClan elder, a skinny tom with creamy brown fur, who was comfortably curled up in a nest of dry leaves underneath a tree.

“Look, Rushtail,” Crowfeather was meowing frustratedly, “WindClan is gathering farther down the hill. If you stay here, you’ll get mixed up with ThunderClan.”

“So? ThunderClan never did me any harm,” rasped the elder. “I’m not moving a pawstep from here, young fellow, until I’ve had something to eat.”  **(LOL, this is why I love elders!)**

Crowfeather rolled his eyes. 

“Great StarClan!”

“Can I help?” Leafpaw offered, wondering if Rushtail was being stubborn, or if he really felt too weak to move. She might be able to find some herbs that would help restore his strength, like the traveling herbs they used to eat before journeying to the Moonstone.

But when Crowfeather turned around to face her, his eyes were cold. “I don’t need help from ThunderClan, thanks,” he mewed curtly.  **(Aw, Crowy, don’t be like that toward your girlfriend! You love her! :-D)**

“I’m sorry.” Leafpaw took a step back, struggling not to show how cross she was that he was refusing her help for no good reason. “I only thought⎯”

“Take it easy, Crowfeather.” Leafpaw felt a light touch on her shoulder and glanced around to see Squirrelflight. “There’s no need to be so prickly,” her sister added to the WindClan warrior.

Crowfeather dug his claws agitatedly into the ground.

“Our journey’s over, Squirrelflight,” he meowed. “We have to remember we belong to different Clans now.”

Squirrelflight snorted. 

“You always were a difficult furball, Crowfeather. But I won’t stop you if you’re determined to make everything harder than it needs to be. Just watch it when you talk to my sister, that’s all.”

Crowfeather looked back at Leafpaw and muttered something that might have been an apology. A little ways away, Lionblaze and Jayfeather had paused, watching the Windclan warrior and Leafpaw’s exchange as they stood next to Deadfoot, who was also watching. The Windclan deputy’s eyes kept flicking between his son and Leafpaw, with a knowing look.

“But I can manage Rushtail on my own, thanks,” Corwfeather added, oblivious to his father and who Leafpaw knew to be his future kits.

Just before she left, Leafpaw saw him bend over the elder again. “Rushtail, if I fetch you some fresh-kill, will you move then?”

“I might.” The old tom settled himself more comfortably and closed his eyes. “As long as it’s good and plump.”

“Leafpaw, are you coming?” Squirrelflight called.

Leafpaw turned to see Sorreltail bounding over to her.

“Was that Crowfeather?” she asked. “His tongue’s as sharp as a fox’s teeth. Is he giving you trouble? I’ll sort him out for you.” Her amber eyes gleamed with anticipation.

“Someone’s giving Leafpaw trouble?” Lightningfur slid to her side. “Who do I need to hurt?”

“No, no, he’s fine.” Leafpaw touched her friend’s shoulder with the tip of her tail. To her aunt she added; “Crowfeather is just prickly. It’s alright.”

Glancing back to where Crowfeather had disappeared in search of fresh-kill, she knew that was not entirely true. But she could not think of any herb that would heal his broken heart.  **(I do...it begins with Leaf…...and ends with ‘pool’....hehe)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Leafpaw and Crowfeather in close proximity*
> 
> Me: SHIP SHIP SHIP SHIP SHIP SHIP SHIP SHIP
> 
> My friends: Is she okay?
> 
> Me: SHIP SHIP SHIP SHIP SHIP
> 
> My fellow warrior cat fan: She's good. This is just the typical fangirling. *Sees Icefoot* *Begins fangirling*


	31. Firestar Needs Grief Counseling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tallstar's death scene..... *Bawls* RIP Tallstar. You will always be one of my favorites.

Brambleclaw was curled up beside Squirrelflight, trying to sleep, but failing. Earlier, the two of them had a conversation with Ashfur, and Brambleclaw was feeling a little uneasy about the gray warrior. It mostly stemed from the fact that the futures all avoided him, and if they made contact with him, it was with stiff words and angry looks.

There was prod in his side. Brambleclaw looked up blearily to see a paw. Barkface was standing over him.

“Where’s Firestar?” the WindClan medicine cat demanded softly.

Brambleclaw carefully scrambled up, yawning, not wanting to wake Squirrelflight. Above his head the sky was just beginning to grow light. 

“Most of ThunderClan are over there, under the trees.”

“Find him for me, will you?” Barkface’s voice sounded close to breaking. “Tallstar is asking for him.”

Brambleclaw knew the WindClan leader must be close to losing his last life. 

“I’ll fetch him,” he promised.

“Thanks. We’re under that gorse bush over there.” Barkface pointed with his tail. “I’ve got to find Deadfoot and Onewhisker.”

He dashed off.

Brambleclaw bounded toward the nearest ThunderClan warriors. Tallstar was the eldest of the leaders, and his death would be a great loss to all four Clans, not just WindClan. For a few heartbeats he despaired of finding Firestar in the dim predawn light, but then he spotted him sharing tongues with Sandstorm and Creekflower near the tree stump.

“Firestar, Barkface says Tallstar wants to see you,” Brambleclaw meowed as he raced up to them. Firestar stiffened, and exchanged a glance with Sandstorm. Creekflower rested her muzzle on her head, comforting him. 

“I’ll come at once,” he replied.

“Does Barkface need any help?” Sandstorm asked. “Cinderpelt was here a moment ago. Tell Barkface to send a cat with a message if he wants her.”

Brambleclaw nodded, and followed Firestar across the open ground to the gorse bush where Tallstar lay dying. Its outer branches swept the ground, and there was no sign of any cats at first, but as Brambleclaw approached he heard the sound of harsh, uneven breathing. Ducking down, he peered through a gap to see Tallstar stretched out on his side in a nest of dead leaves.

“Firestar’s here,” he meowed, stepping back to let his leader enter the makeshift den. “I’ll wait outside,” he added to Firestar.

“Is that Brambleclaw?” Tallstar’s voice came weakly from beneath the bush. “Don’t go. You can stay, too.”

Brambleclaw glanced hesitantly at Firestar, and when his leader nodded he flattened himself against the ground to creep under the low branches beside him.

Tallstar was alone; Barkface hadn’t come back yet with Deadfoot or Onewhisker. The WindClan leader’s chest heaved as he fought for breath, and Brambleclaw winced at the effort it cost him to raise his head.

But in the faint moonlight that filtered through the branches, Tallstar’s amber eyes shone with the light of StarClan.

“Firestar, I must thank you,” he rasped. “You have saved my Clan.”

Firestar gave a murmur of protest as he settled down beside the Windclan leader.

“And Brambleclaw . . .” Tallstar went on. “You journeyed a long way to find this place for us, facing dangers no cat has seen before. Even Graystripe, may he walk with StarClan, would agree you will make a worthy deputy for ThunderClan.”

Brambleclaw gasped. He didn’t dare look at his leader, who stiffened beside him. He knew that Firestar had never stopped grieving for Graystripe, and clung to the belief that his friend was still alive. He had refused to name another deputy so far, even though it seemed extremely unlikely that Graystripe would escape from the Twolegs who had taken him away from the forest.

Ambition gripped Brambleclaw like an eagle’s talons. Hard as it was to admit it, he knew that he wanted to be deputy, and then leader, of his Clan.  _ Was this what Tigerstar had felt? _ he wondered. His father’s hunger for power had been so strong that he was prepared to lie and murder and betray to achieve it.  _ I could  _ _ never _ _ do that, _ Brambleclaw thought.

If he became deputy it would be through loyalty to his Clan, hard work, and respect for the warrior code. But Tigerstar’s dark heritage would always be with him, overshadowing all he tried to do.  _ They look at me and see Tigerstar. _

He recovered himself in time to dip his head to Tallstar and murmur, 

“It wasn’t just me. It was all of us together.”

“You’re tiring yourself, Tallstar.” Firestar’s voice was gentle. “You need to rest.”

“Rest will do me no good now,” the WindClan leader meowed.

Firestar did not try to pretend that there was any hope he would get better. 

“You will be a noble addition to the ranks of StarClan,” he told him. He crouched down so he could press his muzzle to Tallstar’s.

“Before then . . . before then. . .” Tallstar started to choke, and his paws scrabbled in the dried leaves.

“Brambleclaw, find Barkface,” Firestar ordered.

“No.” Tallstar managed to catch his breath again, and signaled with his tail for Brambleclaw to stay. “Nothing . . . any medicine cat can do for me now.” His eyes half closed and he took several gasping breaths before continuing. “Where’s Deadfoot and Onewhisker?”

Firestar glanced at Brambleclaw, who shook his head.

“Barkface went to get him,” he meowed. “I’ll go and look too.”

“Quickly . . .” Tallstar rasped as Brambleclaw backed out. “Tell them . . . that it is time. . . .

When Brambleclaw straightened up and looked around, the dawn light was strengthening, but he still couldn’t see any more than dark shapes and the occasional blur of a pale-colored pelt. Most cats were still sleeping in hastily flattened dens among the long grass, roughly divided among the four Clans. He was trying to work out which of the shadowy groups was WindClan when he spotted Deadfoot quickly limping over, and a solitary cat racing up from the direction of the lake. To his relief he recognized Onewhisker.

“Barkface said Tallstar’s dying.” The WindClan warrior gasped as he halted beside the bush, dropping his mouthful of dripping moss. “I only went to the lake to get him a drink.”

“He wants to see both of you,” Brambleclaw meowed. Deadfoot and Onewhisker slid under the branches into Tallstar’s den, and Brambleclaw followed him in time to see the warrior place the moss beside Tallstar’s head. The dying leader feebly licked up a few drops, then raised his head again. His glittering, star-filled gaze traveled from his new deputy to Firestar and then to Brambleclaw.

“I am grateful to have brought the Clan this far,” he murmured. “Deadfoot, treat our friends well when you lead our Clan. Remember everything ThunderClan has done for us.”

“Tallstar, I’ll do my best,” Deadfoot began as Onewhisker stretched out a paw to touch his leader’s shoulder, but Tallstar’s head had slipped down into the leaves. His eyes closed, and his breathing became quick and shallow.

Brambleclaw felt a faint breeze touch his fur and heard the murmur of pawsteps. Something brushed his pelt, and he thought he saw starlight reflected for a moment in Firestar’s eyes. It suddenly felt as if the tiny den was packed full, with sleek-furred flanks sweeping against him on every side. For a moment a ginger cat, looking so much like Firestar Brambleclaw had to cast a quick look at his leader to check to see if he was beside him, brushed past on Firestar’s other side, and gently touched his nose to Tallstar’s head. The WIndclan leader’s eyes fluttered opened, resting on the ginger cat, then slid over to Firestar.

“Firestar...you remind me a lot of Jake. Your father would be so proud.” Firestar’s eyes flickered for a moment, then he touched noses with the dying leader.

“Thank you,” the dark red tom breathed. “For everything.”

Brambleclaw jumped at a scuffling sound behind him, and in a heartbeat the den was empty once more. He turned to see Barkface squeezing under the branches. Dropping a packet of leaf-wrapped herbs beside Tallstar, he meowed, 

“Cinderpelt gave me these.”

He broke off, staring at his leader.

“It is too late for herbs,” Firestar mewed quietly.

Onewhisker crouched down and pushed his nose into Tallstar’s fur. The WindClan leader’s black-and-white flank had stopped rising and falling now, stilled forever with the departure of Tallstar’s spirit.

“He walks with StarClan now,” Barkface murmured.

Brambleclaw felt his throat swell with grief. Tallstar had not been his leader, but he had been a noble cat, and nothing would be the same now that he was dead. Firestar had a grief-stricken look in his eyes, and Bramblelcaw wondered. . . Tallstar had mentioned Firestar’s father. . . had he known him?

The ThunderClan leader pushed his way out through the branches, struggling to hold his emotions together. Tallstar’s death had caught him completely off guard. Already, Firestar felt Tallstar’s absence like a chunk of his heart had been ripped out. Firestar closed his eyes. First he had lost Yellowfang, then Nutmeg, his father had died before they got to meet, Bluestar sacrificed herself to save him, and now Tallstar was dead. His life felt like there was tragedy after tragedy. The leader shook his head crossly.  _ Not the time to lose yourself like this, _ he told himself furiously.  _ You can deal with it later. _

Brambleclaw and the others followed as Firestar padded across and leaped up on the stump at the edge of the deserted clearing. Deadfoot leapt up next to himand Onewhisker and Brambleclaw sat a little ways away.

The ThunderClan leader let out a yowl. 

“Cats of all Clans! Gather to hear the news I have to tell you.”

All around the clearing, Firestar watched the cats stir in their makeshift nests, like a ripple in long grass when wind passed over it. From close by he heard some cat mutter crossly, 

“What does he want now?”

Firestar repeated his yowl until one by one the cats slipped out of their makeshift dens and crept forward until they surrounded the stump.

“Cats of all Clans, I have some very sad news,” Firestar began. “Tallstar has gone to hunt with StarClan.”

“Tallstar dead!” exclaimed Tornear. “He became leader before I was born. What will happen to WindClan without him?”

Beside him, his apprentice, Owlpaw, bowed his head, too overcome to speak. Mosspelt, a RiverClan queen, touched the young cat on his shoulder with the tip of her tail. 

“He was a noble cat,” she murmured. “He will be welcomed by StarClan, and walk with the best of them.”

From somewhere near the back a single voice rose up in a wail of grief. Firestar echoed it in his heart.

“I was there when he died,” Firestar went on, with a glance at Brambleclaw, “and he now leaves-”

He broke off as a mottled brown warrior thrust his way forward and halted at the foot of the stump. 

“What’s that?” he demanded, his eyes flashing anger. “Tallstar is dead? Why did no cat tell me?”

It was Mudclaw. Firestar looked calmly down at the WindClan warrior as Deadfoot responded; 

“Tallstar died just a few moments ago,” he meowed. “There’s been no chance to tell any cat.” Deadfoot straightened up and addressed directly to his clan. “I know I have big pawsteps to fill, but I promise that I will do my best to lead our clan.”

Mudclaw’s neck fur bristled. 

“You don’t think you really will be a good leader, do you?” he spat. “Every cat knows that Tallstar practically handed our Clan over to Firestar before he left the forest. He’s always felt more loyalty to ThunderClan than they ever deserved!” Firestar forced himself to keep his mouth shut. As much as he would  _ love _ call Mudclaw out on his behavoir, that was Deadfoot’s job.

“Mudclaw,” Deadfoot hissed. “How  _ dare _ you say Tallstar cared more about another clan than his own. He has lead Windclan through many dark days. He loved Windclan more than anything.”

“No one can deny that.” Firestar said quietly. Mudclaw glared at Firestar.

“What  _ I’m _ wondering about is what  _ you _ were doing there.” Firestar’s eyes narrowed.

“Tallstar wanted to speak with me before he died,” he replied, a cold edge to his voice. “And what he said to me is none of your concern.” For a moment, Firestar’s eyes took on the cold tint that Icefoot’s ice blue ones had. Mudclaw sneered.

“Why should I believe that?”

Brambleclaw padded forward from his spot next to Squirrelflight.

“I was there to.” he meowed. “And Onewhisker.”

Mudclaw narrowed his eyes at Brambleclaw. 

“You were there too, were you? Another ThunderClan cat, what a surprise! What did Firestar offer you if you backed him up? Did he promise to make you deputy of ThunderClan?”

Brambleclaw looked like he was struggling with the urge to leap on the WindClan warrior’s back and claw his fur off. Firestar had to retrain himself from doing the same. Just managing to stay where he was, and his eyes lit with cold fury, the dark red tom hissed;

“How dare you doubt my word, or my warrior’s? Why does it matter if Tallstar chose to myself and Brambleclaw with him?”

“It matters because both Tallstar, and now Deadfoot,” Mudclaw threw a disgusted look at the Windclan deputy. “Associate themselves with the other clans, Thunderclan in particular.”

“Are you calling me a traitor?!” Deadfoot demanded, shaking with barely contained fury.

“Their loyalty has and always will be to Windclan.” Firestar spat.

Mudclaw spun around to face his Clanmates. 

“Are you going to sit here and accept this?” he demanded. “Do we let a ThunderClan lover become our leader?” Whipping around to glare at Deadfoot again, he added, “How many of our warriors do you think will follow you, you sniveling, crow-food-eating traitor?”

Before Deadfoot had time to reply, Crowfeather stalked forward and stood at the edge of the tree stump. His fur was ruffled and his eyes stunned with grief, but when he spoke his voice was calm, but also tainted with anger.

“I will follow my father. He has always been a exceptional deputy, and he will be a great leader.” Raising his head to meet Deadfoot’s gaze, he meowed, “Deadstar, I greet you as the leader of my Clan.”

More voices came from WindClan, Morningflower, Gorseheart, and Onewhisker among them. “Yes! Deadstar! Deadstar!” But others sounded uncertain, or openly defiant, and Firestar could see it wasn’t going to be easy for Deadfoot to convince his Clan of his firm, unwavering loyalty. He spotted Blackstar and Leopardstar at the edge of the crowd, exchanging a glance of amused satisfaction. They weren’t disappointed to see quarrels in WindClan, that was for sure. Firestar sighed. Couldn’t any of the clans see that, while they would never be one clan, they are all one.  **(Cue ‘We Are One’. I love that song.)**

Deadfoot dipped his head toward Crowfeather. “Thank you,” he mewed. “But don’t call me Deadstar yet,” he asked. “I haven’t received my name or my nine lives from StarClan.”

“And you never will!” Mudclaw snarled. “You are not our leader! Come down here and fight me if you dare. Then we’ll see who’ll make the better leader for WindClan.” Firestar’s mouth dropped open. Sure, he knew Mudclaw thought himself to be a good leader, but he never expected to aggressive warrior to make an outright  _ claim _ for the position.

Deadfoot met Mudclaw’s eyes, clearly thinking about actually meeting Mudclaw’s challenge, but Firestar raised his tail to stop him. 

“Stop!” An outraged cry came from Barkface. “Sheathe your claws, Mudclaw,” he told the WindClan deputy. “Clan leaders have never been chosen by fighting. And do you want to start a fight with Tallstar’s spirit still watching over us? We should be sitting in vigil for him, not bickering over who will take his place. You betray him by behaving like this. He always expected the best from his senior warriors.” He paused, with a long glance at Firestar, and then added, “I believe that Deadfoot will be a good leader. Tallstar made his choice long ago, and you must accept it.”

With a visible effort, Mudclaw flattened his neck fur and sheathed his claws. 

“Very well,” he growled. He looked up at Deadfoot, and the hatred in his eyes was like poison. “You’re brave enough standing there with your ThunderClan friends to back you up. But if you think I’ll serve as your deputy, you’re wrong.”

Deadfoot snorted. “Very well,” he meowed. “I wasn’t going to ask you anyway.”

Mudclaw’s only reply was to spit. Then he turned away to follow Barkface and some of the other WindClan warriors as they went to bring out Tallstar’s body for the vigil.

“Deadfoot,” Firestar mewed quietly, “you have to appoint another deputy. Now. You can’t lead this Clan alone, and you will need all the support you can get if Mudclaw decides to make things difficult.”

Deadfoot nodded.

“Precisly what I was thinking.” he closed his eyes to think. Then he opened them again and looked down at his Clanmates. “I say these words before the spirit of Tallstar, and the spirits of all StarClan, that they may hear and approve my choice.”

“Ashfoot will be the new deputy of WindClan.”

Firestar saw the gray she-cat standing with a look of utter shock on her broad face. Crowfeather bounded over to her and pressed his muzzle to hers, while the other WindClan cats called out, 

“Ashfoot! Ashfoot!”

Firestar suddenly remembered that she was Deadfoot’s mate; he had seen her once or twice before at Gatherings, though he hadn’t spoken to her. She was obviously a popular choice among her Clanmates. Deadfoot had made a wise decision, just as he hoped.

Deadfoot leaped down from the stump, and Firestar followed. Ashfoot came forward to touch noses with her mate-turned-leader. 

“Thank you, Deadfoot,” she meowed. “I’ll do my best. I never imagined⎯”

“I know,” Deadfoot interrupted, giving her ear a quick lick. “That’s one reason why I chose you. I don’t want a cat who thinks she deserves power. I want a cat who will help me make our Clan strong again when we reach our new home.”

Ashfoot let out a purr. 

“Then that is what I will do.”

Turning to Firestar, Deadfoot meowed, 

“Thank you, Firestar. I’m sorry that was so difficult.” he sighed, rolling his eyes. “I never thought Mudclaw would accuse you of lying.”

Firestar shrugged. 

“I wasn’t surprised. Mudclaw has never liked me, and would be glad to grab an opportunity to accuse me of something. But at least you seem to have most of the Clan behind you now.”

Deadfoot nodded, but a flicker of concern crept into his expression. “How will I get my name and my nine lives from StarClan?” he muttered, eyes narrowed. “There’s no Moonstone here. It would be a bad idea to go back through the mountains to Highstones.”

Firestar twitched his tail. 

“The journey there and back would take nearly a moon. And Mudclaw wouldn’t be sitting on his paws doing nothing while you were away; that’s for sure.”

He flicked his ears toward the cats who had brought Tallstar’s body into the clearing. Mudclaw was sitting a little way apart from them, staring at Deadfoot with an ominous look in his eyes. 

“You’re right.” Deadfoot sighed, frustrated. “This isn’t the time to leave the Clan. But we’ll have to find some way of sharing tongues with StarClan, won’t we?”

“There must be another Moonstone close by,” Ashfoot meowed with sturdy common sense. “StarClan wouldn’t have brought us here otherwise. We’ll find it as quickly as we can— and until we do, your Clan’s loyalty will have to be enough to keep you as our leader.”

Deadfoot still looked troubled, and Firestar could understand why. It wasn’t just Mudclaw. Webfoot and Nightcloud clearlyagreed with the mottled warrior, and there might be others. Deadfoot’s leadership wouldn’t be completely safe until he had his nine lives and his new name. 

“We can’t do any more now,” the WindClan cat mewed wearily. “Though dawn is already here, we must sit vigil for Tallstar.”

He led the way across the clearing and crouched beside the unmoving black-and-white shape, pushing his nose into Tallstar’s cold fur. Ashfoot and Crowfeather settled down on each side of him, as if they wanted to shelter him while he grieved for his dead leader. Their grief must be even greater, Firestar knew, because they could not sit vigil for a whole night; soon the Clans would move off to their new homes. Onewhisker joined them, as did Gorseheart and Morningflower. Firestar noticed Bramblelcaw seemed to be lost in, what appeared to be, confusing, heavy thoughts.

“Deadfoot chose wisely in making Ashfoot his deputy,” Firestar remarked, jolting Brambleclaw back from his troubled thoughts. Bramblelcaw’s mouth opened, like he wanted to say something, but didn’t know  _ how _ to say it. Firestar had an idea on what he was thinking, and turned his green gaze on.

“We have no proof that Graystripe is dead. And if he isn’t, then one day he’ll return to ThunderClan. I can’t appoint another in his place. Not yet.”

“RiverClan appointed Hawkfrost as deputy when Stonefur went missing,” Brambleclaw ventured.

Firestar’s eyes narrowed. 

“That was different. When Stonefur disappeared, no cat knew what had happened to him. It seemed impossible that he could still be alive. But now we know that Twolegs trapped the cats that went missing. If they wanted them dead, they would have killed them right away, but they didn’t. Graystripe is being held prisoner somewhere, and sooner or later he’ll escape and come back to us.” His claws scraped against the ground, leaving deep scratches in the dirt. “I won’t give up hope until I’ve seen his body with my own eyes.” Firestar knew he needed to appoint a new deputy, but he was still holding back, feeling like it wasn’t the right time.

Without another word, Firestar turned and headed toward the cats who had gathered around Tallstar’s body. He saw Squirrelflight slip silently out of the shadows and she padded over to touch noses with him. They settled down side by side just outside the circle of grieving WindClan cats, their flame-colored pelts mingling together. Firestar stared at Tallstar’s body, too filled with grief to speak now that everything was relatively settled. Squirrelflight was looking at him.

“Are you okay?” she asked. Firestar’s eyes darted from Tallstar to her. He sighed, briefly layed his head on hers, and simply said;

“I will be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tallstar: *Dies*
> 
> Brambleclaw: Wow, Firestar is amazingly holding himself together. How does he do that?
> 
> Firestar: *Plagued by death after death, needs some reassurance, a counselor, and just needs a flipping break*


	32. Sparkpaw Slips Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HELLO! I have six chapters ready, don't know if I'll get them all out today, or a few now and the rest later. We'll see.

Leafpaw crouched not far from Tallstar’s body, watching the cats who came to keep vigil for the dead leader. Daylight spread steadily from beyond the ridge of hills, revealing a gray sky with clouds hanging low over the trees. A damp, chilly wind blew from the lake and made the branches rattle together like mouse bones.

The dead leader’s body looked grim and stark. Leafpaw shivered. It felt very strange to be sitting in vigil in the cold light of morning. Usually the ceremony was carried out at night, when the unmoving shape would be muffled by shad- ows as comforting as soft, black fur.

Glancing away from Tallstar’s body, Leafpaw let her thoughts wander. Anxiety gnawed at her, sharp as a fox’s fangs. Deadfoot couldn’t go all the way back to the Moonstone to receive his name and his nine lives from StarClan; he was too tired to make the long journey twice over again, and it was obvious Mudclaw would seize upon his absence to make trouble. But what would happen to the Clans if their leaders didn’t share tongues with StarClan? The warrior code would fade away like mist in sunshine, and they would be nothing more than rogues.

“StarClan must guide us!” she mewed out loud.

Cinderpelt glanced around from where she was talking to Barkface. 

“Leafpaw? What’s the matter?” She padded over, looking concerned.

Leafpaw shook her head. 

“Sorry I disturbed you, Cinderpelt. I was just thinking about Deadfoot. What’s he going to do if he can’t go to Highstones?”

Cinderpelt stretched out her tail and touched Leafpaw gently on the head. 

“Don’t worry,” she reassured her. “StarClan will show us a new place to share tongues with them.”

“But when?” Leafpaw gazed into her mentor’s blue eyes. “Deadfoot needs his name and his nine lives now.”

“Leafpaw, be patient. StarClan can’t be hurried. There’ll be an answer, you’ll see. And meanwhile,” she added more briskly, “you could be doing something useful instead of worrying. Look, Mothwing has the right idea. She’s fetching water for all the kits and elders.”

On the other side of the clearing, the RiverClan medicine cat was padding toward a group of WindClan cats, her mouth filled with dripping moss. Leafpaw realized with a guilty pang that she had done nothing except fret over things she could not help.

“Sorry, Cinderpelt,” she meowed, getting to her paws. “I’ll go and fetch some moss too.”

Cinderpelt nodded. 

“You’ll feel better if you’re busy.”

Leafpaw headed for the lake, but she had barely left the copse of trees when she spotted several cats bounding up the slope. Their pelts were slick with lake water, and Leafpaw recognized Hawkfrost in the lead. It was the RiverClan patrol that had gone to explore the island as soon as the first streaks of dawn appeared.

Curious, she turned back and followed them into the center of the clearing. Hawkfrost leaped onto the tree stump and let out a yowl to summon all the cats to listen to him. Leafpaw wondered if he should have done that.

“What’s he playing at? The stump’s for the leaders, just like the Great Rock at Fourtrees.” Sorreltail echoed Leafpaw’s thoughts as she trotted over to join her friend. “Hawkfrost isn’t even a deputy anymore.”

But no cat challenged the RiverClan warrior. Instead the Clans gathered quickly to hear Hawkfrost’s news.

“Well?” Leopardstar prompted. “Did you make it to the island? What did you find?”

“Everything we could have hoped for,” Hawkfrost declared. “I can’t imagine a better place for a camp. StarClan must have had it in mind when they brought us here. There’s the lake to fish in, trees for shelter, and it’s safe from predators—or anything else that might attack us,” he added, his eyes flashing toward the rival Clans.

Several mews of agreement came from the RiverClan warriors, and Blackclaw called out, 

“Well done, Hawkfrost!”

The tabby warrior dipped his head. 

“I’m only trying to do what’s best for the Clan,” he replied.

Leafpaw was surprised to hear a loud 

“Huh!” coming from just behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Squirrelflight glaring at Hawkfrost with unmistakable hostility. Quietly Leafpaw wriggled backward until she reached her sister. 

“What’s the matter?”

“I don’t trust him,” Squirrelflight muttered, not taking her eyes from the RiverClan warrior.

“Me neither,” Leafpaw meowed. She thought back to the day in the forest when Sorreltail had accidentally crossed the RiverClan border while chasing a squirrel. Hawkfrost had caught her, and only Mothwing’s warning about making trouble between the Clans had made him let her go. He had made his ambitions perfectly clear then, even hinting that RiverClan might move into ThunderClan territory while they were weak from lack of prey.

Leafpaw and Sorreltail had decided not to say anything about the incident to Firestar or their Clanmates, the only ones they told had been Tawnypelt and Snowflight. Sorreltail didn’t want to confess that she had crossed the border, and she pointed out that any ambitious young warrior might have dreams of taking over another Clan’s hunting ground. Leafpaw had wished she could dismiss Hawkfrost’s greed for territory and power quite so lightly.

“I knew you didn’t trust him,” Squirrelflight mewed quietly. “I could tell all along.”

Stonefur padded to the foot of the tree stump, his tail-tip twitching. 

“Hawkfrost, I’ve already told you what a mouse-brained idea it is to camp on the island. Warriors can swim over there, yes, but what about kits and elders? And what if something happens to the fish in the lake? We’d never be able to carry fresh-kill across from the shore.”

Hawkfrost looked straight past him and meowed,

“Leopardstar, what do you think?”

The RiverClan leader hesitated before replying. 

“What you say is true, Hawkfrost,” she meowed at last. “The island would be easier to defend than any camp on land. But Stonefur’s right, as well. We can’t make our home somewhere that kits and elders would struggle to reach, and our isolation would make us vulnerable as well as safe. We will camp in the place she found.”

Leafpaw braced herself for an explosion of anger from Hawkfrost, but it never came. Instead he dipped his head to Leopardstar and leaped down from the stump.

“Good.” Squirrelflight sounded satisfied.

“Be fair,” Leafpaw warned. “You can’t blame him for wanting to find a safe home for his Clan.”

Squirrelflight let out a snort of disgust. 

“That’s the last thing he was trying to do. He just wanted to challenge Mistyfoot. If I were her, I’d watch my tail. And don’t tell me that you don’t agree,” she added, “because I won’t believe you.”

“I know,” Leafpaw admitted. “All the same, he hasn’t done anything yet.”

“Exactly,” a voice mewed. “ _ Yet. _ ” It was Sparkpaw. She, too, was glaring at Hawkfrost. But Leafpaw was surprised at the amount of hatred in her eyes. She turned to them.

“You’re right not to trust him.” she paused, then pleaded. “Please make sure Bramblelcaw understands that. In our time, he grew to trust him, but…” she hesitated. “It didn’t turn out so good.” The orange tabby’s eyes widened. “Gotta go!” she dashed off.

_ Hawkfrost, get the heck away from my brother! _ Sparkpaw thought. Alderpaw was currently nose-to-nose with the Riverclan tom, and Sparkpaw was slightly smug to see that her brother wasn’t backing down. She skidded to a halt beside her brother.

“What’s up, Alderpaw?” she shot Hawkfrost an unreadable look. “Need me to beat someone up?” Alderpaw shook his head, resting his tail on her shoulder.

“No need,” he mewed. “I was just leaving-”

“Your mother is Squirrelflight, isn’t it?” Hawkfrost interrupted. Alderpaw and Sparkpaw stared at him.

“Yes,” the orange tabby meowed. “Kind of obvious really.”

“I figured that out pretty quickly,” Hawkfrost meowed. “But...I’m stumped on who your father is.” Sparkpaw shrugged.

“Don’t see why you need to know,” she said. Hawkfrost tilted his head, considering them.

“Just curious.” he replied, icy blue eyes fixed on them.

“Excuse me,” a voice mewed. “But Alderpaw and Sparkpaw are needed right now.” Brambleclaw slid in between his half-brother and future kis, ushering away the latter. A few tail-lengths away, Bramblelcaw then meowed; “You looked like you needed some help.”

“Yeah,” Alderpaw meowed. “Thanks for that.” Brambleclaw gently nudged him.

“Any time.” he flicked his ears forward. “Squirrelflight’s over there.” The dark red she-cat spotted them and bounded over.

“Was Hawkfrost bugging you?” she asked.

“Yeah, he kind of was.” Alderpaw admitted. “He was kind of being pushy about who our parents are.”

“Humph,” Brambleclaw grunted. “He should learn when to leave things alone.”

“Truer words have never been said, dad.” Sparkpaw meowed, oblivious. She blinked as Alderpaw gave her a wide-eyed look.  _ Oh, I just called...whoops… _ Sparkpaw snuck a look at Brambleclaw. He, and Squirrelflight, were staring at her.

“Did you call me…” Brambleclaw stammered. “Dad?”

“Umm…” Sparkpaw froze. “Yeah...you are kind of our dad in our time.” she then muttered. “I thought I worked calling him ‘dad’ out of me. Dang it.” Alderpaw butted his head against her shoulder.

“Nice going sis.” he meowed. He then sighed. “Well, might as well tell you that Squirrelflight is our mom.” Alderpaw and Sparkpaw watched as their parents looked from them to each other before turning back to them.

“I am?” Squirrelflight asked.

“Yep.”

“That’s...a lot to take in.” she murmured. Brambleclaw nodded, to befuddled to speak.

“Well…” Sparkpaw meowed. “We’ll leave you to talk then.” she leaned over to Alderpaw. “Let’s go.” The two littermates took off, leaving their shocked parents to maul over what they had just learned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sparkpaw: HAHAHAHA, you're so funny dad!
> 
> Alderpaw: *Making the shut-up sign*
> 
> Brambleclaw: Da faq?


	33. Lionblaze Gets In Tigerstar’s Face

Brambleclaw slipped through the trees, jaws parted to distinguish ThunderClan scent from among the mingled Clan scents that hovered in the air. It wasn’t easy; they had traveled together for so long that the Clans no longer kept their separate, distinctive scents. Cats were darting everywhere, trying to say good-bye to friends in other Clans. There was so much activity, so much tension crackling between different cats that Brambleclaw could almost imagine he was in the thick of a battle—except in this battle there were no enemies.

Already it was sunhigh, and Firestar was eager to set out for the new territory. He had sent Brambleclaw to make sure no cat was left behind when they set out for their new home. Brambleclaw spotted Mousefur saying good-bye to Heavystep from RiverClan. The ThunderClan warrior looked thin and tired. Perhaps when they reached their new camp it would be time for her to join the elders.

“Hi, Mousefur,” he meowed. “Firestar would like us all to gather near the stump now.” He carefully avoided giving her a direct order; Mousefur had a short temper, and he didn’t want his tail snapped off.

“Okay, I’m coming.” Mousefur gave Heavystep’s ear a quick lick. “Go safely,” she told him. “I’ll see you at the Gathering.”

“Good-bye, Mousefur.” Heavystep watched her go before nodding to Brambleclaw and slipping into the trees where RiverClan was gathering. Brambleclaw almost ran into Squirrelflight, who skidded around the trunk of a tree right under his paws.

“Hi, I was looking for you,” she panted. “Come with me.”

She doubled back and led him down into a small hollow where Rowanclaw and Crowfeather were waiting. “We have to say good-bye properly,” she meowed. “This is the end of our journey, now the Clans are separating.”

A thorn of sorrow pierced Brambleclaw’s heart. Squirrelflight was right. Their quest was at an end. They had faced danger side by side, and somewhere amid the fear, the darkness, and the desperate race to save their Clanmates, they had found true friendship. But their first loyalty had to be to their Clans. It seemed like nine lifetimes ago that they had first left the forest, and sometimes it was even hard to remember how strong their friendship had been on their long journey to sun-drown-place.

He padded over to Crowfeather and Rowanclaw and touched noses with them. Gazing into their eyes, he saw memories swimming there like fish.

“We’ll never forget what we did,” Rowanclaw murmured. “We’ll be stronger all our lives for it.”

All four cats stood in silence until Crowfeather mewed somberly, 

“We should be six.”

Brambleclaw flinched as he thought of the two cats who would never return to their Clan: Feathertail, who had selflessly given her life, and Stormfur, left behind with the Tribe of Rushing Water.

“We are six,” Squirrelflight mewed softly. “They’ll always be with us as long as we remember them.”

Crowfeather’s gaze was fixed on the far distance. In a voice almost too low to hear, he murmured, 

“Sometimes remembering is not enough.”

Rowanclaw gave himself a shake. 

“Well, this won’t catch any prey,” he meowed. “I’d best be off. I’ll see you all at the Gathering.”

He turned and bounded away, the others calling goodbyes after him. Crowfeather dipped his head. “May you travel safely,” he mewed, beginning to back away.

“We’ll be traveling together for a while,” Brambleclaw pointed out. “We have to cross your territory to reach ours.”

“But we must keep with our own Clans now.” Crowfeather turned and disappeared over the top of the hollow.

Brambleclaw stared after him, wishing there were something he could do about Crowfeather’s stubborn belief that he had to do everything alone. His grief for Feathertail seemed to have convinced him that friendship brought nothing but pain.

Squirrelflight brushed his ear with her tail-tip. 

“Come on. Firestar will be looking for us.”

On their way back to the clearing they caught up with Mousefur’s apprentice, Spiderpaw, who was saying good-bye to a couple of RiverClan apprentices. Squirrelflight gave him a friendly cuff around the ear and told him to come with them before he got left behind. Shadecloud and Frogspeck sat with their heads bent, whispering furiously, worry in their eyes. Shadecloud spotted Thunderclan grouping up, and whispered a quick farewell to the Riverclan warrior, who stared after her as she caught up to her clan.

As they began to make their way through the trees, Deadfoot hailed them, bounding over with his Clan behind him. 

“I thought we’d travel together for a while,” he meowed to Firestar. “We’re going in the same direction.”

Firestar nodded. 

“Good idea.”

As they continued, Brambleclaw noticed that Crowfeather was among the cats at the front of his Clan, but the young warrior didn’t even glance sideways at Brambleclaw. Instead, he kept his gaze fixed straight ahead, padding determinedly down toward the shore of the lake where they would pick up a trail that led to the ridge of hills.

Just behind him, Brambleclaw saw Mudclaw scowling at Deadfoot, but it was impossible to tell whether his hostility came from simple envy, or because he didn’t want to travel with ThunderClan.

A little way off, RiverClan and ShadowClan were heading slantwise across the slope in the opposite direction. Narrowing his eyes, Brambleclaw recognized Hawkfrost at the edge of his Clanmates. At exactly the same instant, he turned and met Brambleclaw’s gaze. Murmuring something to the warrior beside him, he bounded away from his Clan and came over.

“Brambleclaw.” Hawkfrost dipped his head in the formal greeting, but his ice-blue eyes were friendly. “Good luck in your new territory. May StarClan be with you.”

“And with you,” Brambleclaw responded politely.

“I’m looking forward to meeting you again at Gatherings,” Hawkfrost added. His eyes searched Brambleclaw’s as if there were more that he wanted to say, but Lionblaze then slipped in between them.

“We gotta go, bye.” the golden warrior meowed. As Brambleclaw and Lionblaze moved away, the golden warrior leaned over and whispered; “I need to talk to you. It’s important.” Brambleclaw casted a curious glance at him, but nodded. “Tawnypelt to.” Brambleclaw gestured for his sister to join them, and the two of them gazed at Lionblaze.

“Well?” Tawnypelt prompted. “We don't have all day.” Lionblaze inhaled a deep breath.

“It’s about your father.” the two of them stiffed.

“What about him?” Brambleclaw asked warily.

“Jayfeather told me that he’s going to try to reach the two of you in your dreams. And believe me,” he added. “He can, and he will. He did it with me when I was an apprentice.” Lionblaze’s tail drooped. “I thought that he was just trying to help me be the best warrior I could be, but he actually was just using me.” he looked up at them. “He and other cats of the Dark Forest will begin training living cats in their dreams. And then, many moons from now, they will launch an attack on the Clans.”

“What?” Tawnypelt whispered, eyes wide. Lionblaze nodded solemnly, then hesitated.

“My sister died in that battle. She saved Dovewing’s sister from being killed by…” he stared at them, then looked around. “From being killed by Hawkfrost.” he whispered. Brambleclaw’s head snapped to attention, eyes wide with shock and horror. Tawnypelt’s pelt was fluffed up. “And...and…” Lionblaze swallowed. “Hollyleaf sacrificed her life to do so.” Brambleclaw gazed at the golden tom.

“That’s why you are so hostile to Hawkfrost,” he said softly, understanding in his gaze. “It’s because he, well, might grow to kill your sister.” Lionblaze sighed.

“Believe me, it’s not easy seeing your sister’s murderer and not ripping him to pieces.”he shook his head. “Anyway, Jayfeather and I think that when Tigerstar does contact you, play along with his game. He may tell you something that can help us in the long run. We, the futures,won’t be around for much longer.”

“What do you mean by that?” Tawnypelt asked.

“We’re only allowed to stay up to when Jayfeather, Hollyleaf, and I were born. And that’s probably going to be soon.” Brambleclaw blew out a sigh.

“Okay, then.” he said. “I’ll do it. Tawnypelt?” she nodded.

“I’m with you.” to Lionblaze she added; “We’ll find out what we can.” Lionblaze relaxed.

“Thank you,” he meowed. “You have no idea how grateful I am.”

The stream was too wide to leap, and the cats hesitated on the bank, looking for stepping-stones or tree branches that might help them cross. As the last of the light died, turning the woods ahead to a rustling mass of shadows, Brambleclaw sensed his Clanmates’ anxiety rising. Ferncloud curled her tail around Birchkit’s shoulders to keep him away from the water, Larchkit was pressed against her brother, and even the apprentices looked scared. Only the futures looked comfortable, which was probably because they  _ lived _ here. Dovewing bounded up to them.

“I’ll help you out.” she meowed.

“What about Longtail?” Mousefur called out. “How do you expect him to get across here?”

“Mouse dung!” Squirrelflight muttered crossly. “We’d better climb the hill to the place we crossed before. It was easier farther up.”

“No, hang on,” Brambleclaw meowed. They didn’t have time for that, not if they wanted to reach the stone hollow before dark. “The water doesn’t look deep. Let’s see if we can wade across.”

He dipped one paw in the water, shivering at its icy touch, then stepped out into the current. The pebbly bottom shelved gently, and he found that even at the deepest place the water didn’t lap much higher than his belly fur.

“Come on!” he called as he leaped out on the opposite bank, shaking each leg in turn to get rid of the water. “It’s easy!”

A couple of yowls of protest rose from the other bank. 

“If you think I’m getting wet, you’ve got bees in your brain!” Mousefur called across to him.

Brambleclaw sighed. It would take far longer to climb the hill to the stepping-stones, and if the Clan had to blunder about in the dark looking for their new camp, then the chances were that some cats would discover it the same way Squirrelflight had—by falling over the edge of the cliff. To his relief, he saw Firestar beckoning to his Clan with his tail.

“Come on!” he meowed impatiently. “We’ve come all this way. We’re not going to let a stream stop us now, are we?”

One by one, the Clan began to cross. Cloudtail and Sandstorm went first, wading slowly through the water with their tails washed sideways by the current. Dustpelt and Ferncloud carried Birchkit and Larchkit across next, heads tipped back to save the kits from getting too wet, and behind him Brackenfur and Sorreltail guided Longtail. Squirrelflight finally persuaded Mousefur into the water by promising she’d soon be in a warm den, on a bed of dry moss; the older warrior grumbled every pawstep of the way until she pulled herself out on the other side and glared at Brambleclaw as she shook herself dry. Behind her, Squirrelflight rolled her eyes, as if she wasn’t looking forward to collecting all the moss she’d promised on the other side of the stream. Cinderheart rested her tail on Jayfeather’s shoulder, guiding him as he cursed everyone from the clans and up to Starclan as he reluctantly crossed through the water.

Firestar crossed last. 

“Right,” he meowed as he joined Brambleclaw on the bank. “Where’s this camp?”

Brambleclaw exchanged a glance with Squirrelflight. They hadn’t approached the hollow from this direction, and in the gathering darkness everything looked different. Squirrelflight was obviously no more certain than he was. She looked blankly back at him and gave the tiniest shake of her head.

Brambleclaw tasted the air, trying to judge their position from the stream and the slope of the hill. Dovewing slid up to them and slightly tilted her head one way. 

“It’s this way,” he

meowed at last, pointing with his tail in the direction Dovewing gestured to, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt. Dovewing nodded, and Brambleclaw was relieved.

The Clan followed him into the trees. Brambleclaw veered in front of his Clanmates to walk beside Squirrelflight.

“What if we can’t find it?” he mewed quietly.

Squirrelflight’s green eyes glinted in the darkness as she turned to look at him. 

“Then we’ll have a lot of furious cats on our tails. Stop worrying,” she added. “It’s around here somewhere. We found it even though we weren’t looking for it before, remember?”

Brambleclaw didn’t tell her that was precisely what he was afraid of—that they’d find the hollow only when a cat fell into it. He suddenly felt very small and vulnerable as he padded through the dead leaves, with smooth gray trunks rising up on every side.  _ Even if we find the hollow, will the others think it’s any good? _ he wondered desperately.

“Plus,” Squirrelflight said quietly. “Dovewing is helping us out.” the gray she-cat was trotting along behind them, ears pricked, and eyes scanned the trees. Dovewing caught his eye and nodded, indicating that they were going the right way.

Squirrelflight’s ears prick up.

“Look!” she meowed. “That gap between the trees over there, with the clump of dead bracken . . . I’ve seen that before.”

“Are you sure?” Brambleclaw asked, but Squirrelflight was already racing ahead. He followed her into a small clearing and skidded to a halt in front of the tangle of thorns where Squirrelflight had disappeared when she first found the stone hollow.

She was standing in the middle of the clearing, her eyes shining. 

“This is it!” she yowled triumphantly. Spinning around, she called to the rest of the Clan, “Come on, we’re here!”

Spiderpaw let out a screech of excitement. He broke away from the rest of the Clan and dashed forward, straight into the brambles. Brambleclaw stared in horror. They had found the hollow again, but that wasn’t the way in!

“Come back!” Mousefur called after her apprentice.

There was no reply. Brambleclaw caught a glimpse of his long black tail waving among the thorns and sprang forward, but Squirrelflight was faster.

Yowling, “No!” she burrowed among the thorns after Spiderpaw. Brambleclaw slid underneath the branches and found them on the very edge of the cliff. Squirrelflight had pinned Spiderpaw down with a paw on his neck, her flanks heaving with effort. Beneath her, the apprentice peered over the sheer rock wall, his eyes bulging.

“Stupid furball!” Squirrelflight exclaimed. “Do you want a broken neck?”

“Sorry,” Spiderpaw mumbled. “You said we were here, so I thought-”

Squirrelflight batted him across the ear with one paw, her claws sheathed. 

“Get back to the others,” she rasped. “And maybe you should try thinking less and listening more next time!”

Brambleclaw almost snorted out loud, hearing Squirrelflight give the same advice she’d heard so many times. He waited until they had crawled away from the cliff before following them out of the brambles.

“What’s going on?” Ferncloud, Spiderpaw’s mother, demanded as they came into the clearing. “Is there something dangerous in those bushes? Why didn’t you warn us before?”

Unease, sharp as a claw, raked down Brambleclaw’s spine.

“Er . . . we’ve found the camp,” he meowed. “It’s in a hollow on the other side of those brambles.” Hastily he added, “It’s not dangerous once you know where the edge is. Come and see. Not that way!” he growled as Whitepaw bounded curiously over to the thorns. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Jayfeather carefully edging away from the cliff, unease in his eyes. Lionblaze slipped in beside his brother and settled himself between the gray tabby and the cliff edge.

He and Squirrelflight led the other cats down the slope, weaving between brambles and hazel trees until they reached the gap in the circle of stone. Brambleclaw nervously watched his Clanmates as they filed in and stood looking around at the towering walls. The sky was almost completely dark now, with clouds covering the half-moon, and Brambleclaw had to admit the hollow looked dark and uninviting. There seemed to be more brambles and thornbushes than he remembered, making it feel cramped and overgrown. Some of the undergrowth would be useful for shelter, but the rest would have to be cleared.

Mousefur was the first to speak. 

“This isn’t a camp! Where are the dens? There’s not enough space for a snake to sun itself here.”

“Hey!” Squirrelflight protested. “You didn’t think StarClan would have it all ready for us, did you? I know there’s a lot of work to do, but think how easy it will be to defend, surrounded by these cliffs.”

“I think it looks great,” Thornclaw meowed. “We’ll soon sort out proper dens, and somewhere for the nursery.”

“The nursery in our time is over there,” Cinderheart meowed. “The warriors’ there, apprentices’ there, and the elders’ over here.”

“I want to explore!” Whitepaw exclaimed, bouncing on her paws. “Can we, Brackenfur? Please!”

Her mentor gave her a gentle nudge. 

“Wait until tomorrow, when it’s light.”

Goldenflower was standing beside Longtail, her tail curled across his shoulders. 

“It’s a huge clearing with stone walls,” she mewed softly. “It’s quite dark, but I think the walls are covered with ferns and moss. Can you hear that trickle of water? It sounds more like rain draining off the rock than a proper stream. The hollow is full of brambles and thorn thickets, but there’s plenty of space for the Clan.”

“Then StarClan have brought us to an excellent place,” Longtail meowed. “I can easily imagine us building our camp here.”

Their optimism cheered Brambleclaw up, even though not all the cats shared it. Ferncloud was looking around doubtfully, and Sootfur was sniffing the air with an irritable look, as if he expected prey to leap into his paws.

Mousefur snorted. 

“Those bushes will be cold and wet and full of ticks, I shouldn’t wonder.”

Squirrelflight’s eyes narrowed, but before she could make a stinging retort Sandstorm flicked her warningly on the ears with her tail.

“Come on, it’s got a lot going for it,” she mewed bracingly. “Those walls will shelter us from bad weather. And like you said, Squirrelflight, it should be easy to defend.”

“We’ll have to do something about that, though.” Dustpelt nodded his head toward the entrance. “The whole of ShadowClan could be through there in a couple of heartbeats.”

“It’s too late to do anything tonight,” Firestar meowed. “And far too dark. But you’re right, it looks a likely place for a camp,” he added to Brambleclaw. “We can make up our minds for sure when we see it in daylight. Dustpelt, Thornclaw, could you check that we’re not sharing the place with any foxes or badgers? The rest of us can start finding places to sleep.”

The two warriors peeled off from the group and began to circle the hollow in opposite directions, scenting the air every few pawsteps and peering into clefts in the rock and underneath bushes. Feeling as if he couldn’t walk another step, Brambleclaw watched until they were swallowed by the shadows at the foot of the cliff.

“What about fresh-kill?” Rainwhisker asked. “Do we have to go to sleep hungry?”

One or two voices were raised in agreement, and

Brambleclaw felt his neck fur begin to rise.

“It’s not long ago we went to sleep hungry every night,” Squirrelflight muttered into his ear. She sounded as disappointed as he was with their Clanmates’ reaction to the hollow. “Why are they complaining so much?”

“We’ve been very well fed since we reached the lake,” Brambleclaw reminded her. “Our bellies are used to being full again. But it won’t do any cat harm to wait until morning to eat.”

“We’ll send out patrols at dawn,” Firestar promised his Clan.

There was some muttering at that, but gradually it died away, and the group began to split up as cats looked for sleeping places.

“Brambleclaw, do you know if there’s a sheltered place for my kits?” Ferncloud asked anxiously. “I’m afraid they’ll come down with whitecough if he doesn’t have somewhere warm to sleep.”

“I don’t know,” Brambleclaw admitted, “but I’ll help you look. There are brambles near the wall just a bit farther up.”

“And what about some moss for bedding?” Mousefur broke in. “Are we expected to sleep on bare earth? Squirrelflight said there would be a warm den waiting for me once I crossed that wretched stream.”

“Hey!” Jayfeather meowed crossly, curled up in a spot not far away. “Just find a spot to sleep. We’ll take care of that in the morning!” with that, the gray tabby medicine cat curled back up and buried his nose in his fur.

By the time Brambleclawhad found a place for Ferncloud and her kits among the brambles and scraped up some dead bracken to make a nest, most of the other cats had found sleeping places. Instinctively he looked around for Squirrelflight, spotting her among a patch of ferns with some of the younger warriors.

Brambleclaw called her name, and she turned and bounded over, touching noses with him.

“Let’s find somewhere to sleep,” he meowed. “I’m kind of worn out.” Squirrelflight licked his ear.

“Me too.” she spotted Tawnypelt and Snowflight curled up together, her tortoiseshell pelt mingling with his snowy white one. “They look quite cozy, don’t you think?” she asked, amused. Brambleclaw purred.

“Snowflight has been padding after her for some time, ever since we were apprentices actually.” Brambeclaw then noticed Ashfur glaring at him, and averted his gaze from the gray speckled warrior.

“Well,” Squirrelflight yawned. “I’m about to pass out from exhaustion. Let go before I tip over.” Brambleclaw touched her ear with his nose before the found a sheltered bush and curled up together.

Alderpaw sat, tail curled around his paws, as he gazed around the hollow. It looked different, which was to be expected, but it still caught him off guard. The tree wasn’t there, and the familiar dens hadn’t been made yet either.

“Mouse for your thoughts?” Firestar’s voice meowed. Alderpaw looked to his right, staring at his grandfather.

“Just thinking about how different it looks.” he meowed. Firestar nodded.

“I bet it does.” he murmured. “Seeing a familiar place, but it looking completely different.” Alderpaw nuzzled against his grandfather, muffling a yawn. Firestar nudged him.

“Go to sleep,” he meowed, voice stern. “You need it.” Alderpaw quietly mewed a protest, but nodded. Firestar looked to his right as Alderpaw stood to join Jayfeather. The medicine cat apprentice froze as he spotted the shadowy tail he saw at the lake appear again. But this time, he saw the cat it belonged to. Large, dark tabby. Amber eyes. Long, thorn-sharp claws. Tigerstar was hidden in the shadows, eyes darting between Brambleclaw, sleeping next to Squirrelflight, and Tawnypelt, snoozing beside Snowflight. As Alderpaw felt Firestar pad away, the ex-Shadowclan leader’s eyes snapped toward the Thunderclan leader, and his lips drew into a snarl. Alderpaw glanced frantically around, and covertly got Lionblaze’s attention. The golden tom slowly got to his paws as he, too, saw the dark warrior. Alderpaw realized the only ones who could see Tigerstar were the future cats. Sparkpaw had her fur slightly fluffed up, Jayfeather’s eyes were locked onto the Dark Forest cat, and Dovewing and Cinderheart were tensed up. Thunderclan, except for the futures, was asleep, so Lionblaze had no trouble stalking straight up to Tigerstar.

“What do you think you’re doing here?” the golden tom demanded. Tigerstar’s eyes were cool.

“That’s for me to know,” he rumbled, eyes darting from Brambleclaw, Tawnypel, then to Firestar. “And for you to find out.” Alderpaw blinked, and Tigerstar was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lionblaze, into his mic: Sharp-eyed Jay, come in, Sharp-eyed Jay, come in.
> 
> Jayfeather, into his mic: Sharp-eyed Jay here, what do you report Roaring Lion?
> 
> Lionblaze: Clawed Brambles and Pelt of Tawny have accepted the mission.
> 
> Dovewing, into her mic: Winged Dove here, we have a report from Red Apprentice of an approaching Tiger.
> 
> Cinderheart, into her mic: Heart of Cinders speaking, he's looking at Clawed Brambles & Pelt of Tawny, repeat, looking at Clawed Brambles & Pelt of Tawny.
> 
> Alderpaw, into his mic: Red Apprentice here, and, um, he's kinda looking murderously at grandpa...
> 
> Sparkpaw, into her mic: Sparky Apprentice here, imma go get him!
> 
> Alderpaw: NO!
> 
> Lionblaze: I'll do it.
> 
> Jayfeather: Lion's Roar, that is so stupid but I approve go kick his behind!


	34. Blood Will Spill Blood, But Jayfeather Would Like To Spill Ashfur’s Blood

Leafpaw did not find sleep so easy to come by. She sat beneath the overhang with her paws tucked under her, gazing into the shadow-filled hollow.  _ StarClan, where are you? _ She begged silently. But only one or two lonely stars glimmered from the cloudy sky, and Leafpaw felt as if her warrior ancestors were too far away to watch over her Clan tonight.

She must have dozed at last, because she opened her eyes to find she was dreaming. She was standing on a dark sweep of hillside, looking down at the glitter of Silverpelt reflected in the shiny black lake. The island should have been a thicker patch of shadow against the water, but instead it shone with moonlight, each tree picked out in a shaft of silver. Leafpaw felt as if the place were calling to her, as if there were more she needed to learn about it.  _ But we can’t go there, _ she reminded herself.  _ Not every cat can swim like RiverClan. _

A breeze picked up, whispering over the star-filled lake and ruffling Leafpaw’s fur. She felt a surge of hope run through her, even though the voices of her warrior ancestors remained silent. But Leafpaw was not afraid. They had been silent before on the long journey through the mountains, and she had learned that sometimes the only thing a cat could rely on was the strength that lay within. Everything would be all right if she and the others made it so. They would make their camp here; they would explore every part of the woods until they knew the good places for prey, for water and bedding, the spots where each healing herb grew, and the places where they could play and relax in the sun. It seemed strange and daunting now, but eventually it would be their home. Pawstep by pawstep, they would make it happen.

As she stood gazing down at the lake, Leafpaw realized that the surface of the water was changing. The glitter of starlight faded and the water turned steadily redder, until waves of scarlet lapped against the shore. Leafpaw looked up in surprise, but the sky was as dark as before, so this couldn’t be a reflection of sunrise. The water seemed thick and slow- moving, surging lazily over the pebbles—and in that instant, Leafpaw knew that it wasn’t water at all. The lake was filled with blood, fed by streams that ran like gaping wounds.

Another gust of wind buffeted Leafpaw’s fur, hot and dusty this time, bringing with it the stench of crow-food. Shaking with terror, she heard a voice speak clearly in her mind:

_ Before there is peace, blood will spill blood, and the lake will run red. _

A wind had sprung up, rattling the leafless branches and tearing the clouds into ragged strips, but the undergrowth sheltered by the ring of stone hardly stirred. A gleam of pale sunlight slanted into the hollow, leaving the foot of the cliff in shadow but striking a gentle warmth into the ferns by the entrance. The cats that hadn’t been disturbed by Mousefur’s illness awoke to a far different place from the dark and unwelcoming hollow of the night before. Leafpaw heard them call cheerfully to one another, and spotted Birchkit emerging from a bramble thicket to pounce on a dead leaf. Larchkit batted at it, mewing with excitement. The sight of the kits playing just as they had done back in the forest, before the prey vanished and they were dulled by starvation, made Leafpaw’s heart lift, and she offered silent thanks to StarClan. She forced the terrifying bloodstained prophecy from her dream to the back of her mind, and told herself that this must be the right place for ThunderClan to settle.

They found Firestar in an open space near the center of the hollow; he had already gathered some of his warriors around him.

“We need to get out there right away and mark our bound- aries,” Leafpaw heard Dustpelt meow as they approached. “If we don’t, WindClan and ShadowClan will claim all the woodland—and the prey—before you can say mouse.”

“We need to explore the territory as well,” Sandstorm pointed out. “For all we know, these woods could be crawling with foxes and badgers.”

“Not to mention hawks,” Thornclaw added.

Sandstorm murmured agreement. 

“I’ll see to the hunting patrols, if you like,” she meowed to Firestar.

The Clan leader gave her a grateful nod. 

“Thanks, that would be great.” Leafpaw felt a little stab of pride to think that her mother was one of the best hunters in the Clan.

Dustpelt flicked his ears. 

“I’ll take charge of guarding the camp—I don’t like the look of that entrance gap. I’ll get the apprentices and see what we can do with some thorns.”

“And I’ll take care of the boundary patrols,” Brambleclaw offered.

“That’s a huge job,” Firestar warned, “especially as we don’t even know where the boundaries are going to be yet. Brackenfur, will you and Brambleclaw do that together?”

The two warriors nodded.

“Cloudtail, I want you to take a patrol and work outward from the camp,” the Clan leader ordered. “Report back on anything you think I should know about. It’s not just the boundaries we need to think about—I want to know what’s inside them, too.” Cloudtail agreed with a wave of his tail.

“What about me?” Thornclaw asked.

Cinderpelt limped forward. 

“Excuse me, Thornclaw. Firestar, we have a problem.” She quickly told him about Mousefur’s bellyache. “I want to go out and find the right herbs,” she explained, “and then take some to WindClan. All the Clans could have drunk the water, but WindClan is weakest, so they’re most at risk.”

Firestar thought for a moment before he replied. His expression was hard to read, and Leafpaw wondered if he was reluctant to spend time and energy helping another Clan now that they were establishing their new territories.

“We can’t leave WindClan to suffer if there’s something we can do,” Cinderpelt urged.

“All the medicine cats know how to treat bellyache,” Firestar reminded her. “But you’re right, Cinderpelt: WindClan have been through enough, and it’s the kits and elders who’ll suffer. Thornclaw can go with you.”

“I’ll come too.” Lightningfur offered. Airleap nudged her.

“Don’t get into trouble!”

“Oh I won’t,” she meowed. “But...hey, Copperleaf?” the ginger tom poked his head out from a bush he was moving.

“Yes?”

“Keep this guy out of trouble, will you? I don’t trust him to keep his head on straight!”

“HEY!”

Cinderpelt shook her head, amused at the banter of the siblings.

“I’ll just check on Mousefur and the others, and then we’ll go.”

Leafpaw followed Cinderpelt back to Mousefur’s nest. The brown warrior was asleep, with Sorreltail dozing beside her. Longtail and Goldenflower had joined them; Goldenflower was asleep too, but Longtail raised his head as they approached and pricked his ears toward them as if he could see as clearly as ever.

“Hi, Cinderpelt, Leafpaw,” he greeted them; Leafpaw knew he had recognized them by their scent, but it didn’t stop a thorn-sharp claw of sympathy raking through her. Sorreltail blinked her eyes open and scrambled to her paws. 

“I think everything’s fine,” she meowed. “Mousefur’s been asleep ever since you left.”

“Her scent is almost back to normal,” Longtail added. “Goldenflower’s, too, but I think she drank less of the water to start with.”

Cinderpelt bent her head over Mousefur and then Goldenflower, sniffed them, and listened to their breathing.

“They’ll be okay now,” she meowed, straightening. “You might as well go, Sorreltail. You’ll be needed on one of the patrols. Thanks for staying with Mousefur.”

The young warrior raced off, waving her tail at Leafpaw as she passed.

“What about you, Longtail?” Cinderpelt prompted. “Did you have a bellyache as well?”

“A bit,” mewed the blind warrior. “Sorreltail said it was the water Mothwing gave us. I thought it smelled a bit odd, but when a medicine cat gives it to you⎯”

“Mistakes happen,” Cinderpelt meowed. “Leafpaw and I are going to look for herbs to restock our supplies in case any other cats show the same symptoms.”

“Good luck,” Longtail meowed. There was a wistful note in his voice, as if he would have liked to come with them to explore the new territory.

The medicine cats went back to the center of the camp, where the warriors were dividing up their patrols. Leafpaw spotted Brambleclaw heading purposefully toward Squirrelflight, but before he reached her, Ashfur bounded over.

“Hey, Squirrelflight!” he meowed. “Sandstorm says she wants you for the hunting patrol.”

“Sorry,” Squirrelflight replied. “But I’m going with Brambleclaw on one of the border patrols. Maybe another time.” she bounded away from Ashfur and over to Brambleclaw.

There was a look of mingled frustration and disappointment in Ashfur’s eyes as he watched her pad away. The familiar sound of Jayfeather’s derisive snort filled her ears.

“He doesn't look too happy, now does he?” the gray tabby meowed. Leafpaw nodded.

“Yes, he does look a bit upset.” A dark look shadowed Jayfeather’s face.

“I’ve seen him much more upset…” he muttered. Leafpaw glanced curiously at him.

“What do you mean?” Jayfeather hesitated.

“Just...keep an eye on him, would you? His anger and frustration could lead to something bad for the clan.” Leafpaw gazed, concerned at the tabby.

“Like what?”

“Let’s just say,” Jayfeather meowed, turning to meet her eyes. “That there’s a reason my littermates and I hate fire more than anyone else.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ashfur: *Exists*
> 
> Jayfeather: Get me ma machete.


	35. Leafpaw Wants A Hubby (*Looks Slyly At Crowfeather*)

They reached the stream, which flowed in a deep cleft between the tangled roots of overhanging trees. Leafpaw stood on the bank and looked for signs of the leafy green plant, but all she could see was water sliding over gray stone about a tail-length below her, with bright green ferns trailing over the edge of the bank.

“Let’s try on the other side,” Thornclaw suggested when they came to a place where the banks sloped down and they could splash across.

Cinderpelt agreed, but it was much the same: open wood- land with little in the way of undergrowth. Then Leafpaw smelled damp soil, a bit like the marsh at the far end of the lake. Water mint didn’t have to grow in a stream—sometimes wet earth was enough. She raced ahead, pushing her way through some spiky tussocks of grass, and spotted the tall, leafy stems half-hidden in a clump of bracken.

“Good work!” Cinderpelt praised her, coming to join her. “There’s enough here to supply us regularly.”

Tipping their heads to one side, they bit through several stalks. Leafpaw’s eyes watered as sap clung to her fur, filling her mouth with the pungent scent.

“I’d better get back to camp,” Cinderpelt meowed when they had finished picking the water mint. “Lightningfur, will you take Leafpaw to WindClan now?”

“I’ll see you home,” meowed Thornclaw. “I don’t think any cat should be alone in these woods until we know a bit more about them.”

“Good idea,” Lightningfur meowed. “We’ll get going.”

Leafpaw followed her aunt towards Windclan’s moor, and she spotted a squirrel among the roots, nibbling a beechnut.

Lightningfur paused for a moment to judge the direction of the breeze, then began stealthily working her way around so that she approached the squirrel from downwind. Bunching her hindquarters under her, she pounced; the squirrel gave one spasmodic kick, and was still.

“Come on,” she called. “There’s enough for both of us.”

The fresh-kill was delicious, and Leafpaw offered a quick prayer of thanks to StarClan for bringing them to a place where the prey was plump—and slow. Her mouth was filled with the scent of the squirrel, so she had no warning when three cats suddenly appeared around the trunk of a tree a little way off. They paused for a heartbeat when they spotted the ThunderClan cats, and then loped toward them. As they drew closer, Leafpaw realized it was a WindClan patrol made up of Tornear, his apprentice, Owlpaw, and Whitetail.

Swallowing her last bite of fresh-kill, Lightningfur rose to her paws, but Tornear spoke first.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded. “This is WindClan territory.”

“What do you mean, WindClan territory?” Lightningfur stared at him in surprise. “The boundaries haven’t been marked yet.”

“We’re marking them now,” Whitetail explained, sounding faintly embarrassed. “Firestar said the stream that runs along the foot of the hill would be the boundary, and this is on WindClan’s side.”

“Firestar also said that was only a suggestion,” Lightningfur reminded the WindClan warriors. She waved her tail around. “Look. Trees. This is the sort of place where ThunderClan are best at hunting. You need moorland and rabbits, right?”

“There’s not as much moorland here as there was in the old place,” Tornear explained. “We need to extend the territory into these woods, or we won’t be able to support our Clan.”

“Well, I don’t think you’re going to extend it here,” Lightningfur meowed firmly, but the fur along her spine bristled, and Leafpaw guessed she felt very uncomfortable. It was impossible for any cat to forget how close the Clans had been on their journey.

Back in the forest, claws would have been unsheathed by now, but here, there was no instinct to fight over territory they hadn’t finished exploring.

The warriors stood around awkwardly for a few more moments. Whitetail spotted the pile of water mint stems.

“Are those for bellyache?” she asked.

“Yes,” Leafpaw replied. “Are some of your cats ill too?”

Whitetail cast a swift glance at Tornear before she replied.

“Yes,” she answered. “Morningflower and Darkfoot.”

“Morningflower?” That was worrying. Leafpaw knew the WindClan queen had always been a friend to ThunderClan. “What is Barkface doing for her?”

“There’s not much he can do without herbs,” Tornear meowed. “The last I heard, he’d gone looking for juniper. I just hope he doesn’t take too long. Morningflower looked pretty sick to me.”

Leafpaw spun around to face her aunt. 

“I can take some water mint to WindClan right now,” she mewed. “These cats can show me the way.”

“Of course,” Cinderpelt meowed. “But I’m coming with.”

All the warriors looked relieved to have something more urgent to think about than the issue of boundaries. They led them to the edge of the trees—just as they had said, the stream curved into the woods here, away from the foot of the hills—and across open moorland. Then they climbed more steeply beside another stream that fell in a series of tiny, bubbling waterfalls. A few stunted thorns grew along the banks, with traces of rabbit scent clinging here and there. _ So there was prey for WindClan here, _ Leafpaw thought.  _ Had Tornear been telling the truth when he said it might not be enough? _

At last they came to the top of a rise, fringed by bushes, and Leafpaw found herself looking down into the WindClan camp. The sides weren’t as steep as the cliffs around ThunderClan’s hollow, but the smooth, bare slopes gave no cover for attackers.

Leafpaw spotted Deadfoot and Ashfoot talking with a couple of the warriors near a scatter of boulders in the center of the dip.

“I’ll take you straight to Morningflower,” Whitetail meowed.

“And we’ll,” Tornear gestured to himself and Lightningfur. “Explain to Deadfoot about what you’re doing here.” he led the Thunderclan warrior down the slope with Owlpaw.

Whitetail led Leafpaw to a knot of gorse bushes at the far side of the hollow. Leafpaw’s pelt pricked under the stares of WindClan warriors as she padded past, but they were curious rather than hostile.

Morningflower lay on a bed of ferns in the shelter of the bushes. Darkfoot was curled up a tail-length away, but Leafpaw couldn’t take her horrified gaze from the old she-cat. Morningflower lay limply stretched out, her breathing harsh and shallow. Her belly was distended, and a sour smell of vomit came from her. Her eyes were closed, and she was still except for the occasional twitch of her flank. To Leafpaw, she looked as if she were barely a pawstep away from joining StarClan. Gorseheart was beside his mother, staring desperately at Leafpaw.

“Can you help her?” he asked, fur spiked.

Setting down the water mint stems, Leafpaw bent her head closer to Morningflower, but before she could do more than set one paw gently on her belly, she was interrupted by a furious snarl.

“What do you think  _ you’re  _ doing?” Leafpaw jerked around. “I said, what are you doing here?”

Leafpaw felt her pelt bristle as she met Crowfeather’s furious glare. 

“I’ve come to help!” she hissed. “Morningflower and Darkfoot are ill. I’ve brought herbs for them.”

“How do you know what’s wrong?” Crowfeather asked suspiciously.

“Because we’ve got the same problem in ThunderClan,” Leafpaw retorted. There was no need to tell him about Mothwing and the tainted water. She didn’t want to give the prickly WindClan warrior the smallest chance to accuse Mothwing of deliberately poisoning the elders.

“Back off, Crowfeather,” Whitetail mewed. “I asked Leafpaw to come.”

The dark gray warrior let out a snort of disgust; he didn’t say anything else, but he watched Leafpaw closely as she began to examine Morningflower. She found his presence thoroughly off-putting, but she couldn’t tell him to go away, not in his own camp.

Once she was sure that Morningflower was suffering from the same illness as Mousefur and the others, Leafpaw chewed a few mint leaves into a pulp and used her claws to part Morningflower’s jaws. Pushing the pulp into her mouth, she stroked her throat to make her swallow.

Gorseheart crouched close by. 

“Will she die?”

“I don’t know,” Leafpaw admitted. Silently she added a prayer to StarClan:  _ Please let her get well. _

As she waited for the healing herbs to work, she heard Darkfoot stirring; the old tomcat raised his head and looked around with bleary eyes. 

“Great StarClan, my belly aches,” he complained. “Where’s Barkface with that juniper?”

“He’s not back yet,” Whitetail meowed. “But Leafpaw’s here with some water mint.”

“Leafpaw?” Darkfoot blinked. “She’s a ThunderClan cat.” Before Leafpaw could explain, he added, “ThunderClan, WindClan, who cares, so long as she knows what she’s doing.”

He chewed the mint leaves Leafpaw set in front of him, and rested his head on his paws again. A choking sound from Morningflower drew Leafpaw’s attention back to her; the old she-cat was retching feebly, her legs jerking.

“What have you done to her?” Crowfeather snarled. “She’s getting worse!”

He tried to nudge Leafpaw away. She leaped backward, and he bared his teeth at her when she tried to dodge around him and get back to her patient.

“Stop!” Spinning around, Leafpaw saw Deadfoot padding into the bushes, with Tornearand Lightningfur just behind him.

“Crowfeather, what do you think you’re doing? Leafpaw has come to help.”

“She shouldn’t be here,” Crowfeather growled.

“Are you saying she shouldn’t do us a favor? She shouldn’t try to save the life of one of our cats?” Deadfoot’s voice was level, but tense with anger. When Crowfeather didn’t reply, he added, “Since you’re taking such an interest, you can stay and keep an eye on her. If she needs you to do anything, you do it. Leafpaw, don’t be afraid to ask.”  **(Why….is Deadfoot purposely putting Crow and Leaf in the same room together? I think he is…:-D)**

Leafpaw dipped her head. 

“Thanks, Deadfoot. I think Whitetail and I can manage.”

“I want Whitetail for a hunting patrol,” Deadfoot told her. “But Crowfeather hasn’t got anything else to do.” He beckoned to Whitetail and padded away.

Crowfeather glared at Leafpaw. 

“Treat me like an apprentice and you’re crow-food,” he hissed.

“Keep talking to her like that and  _ you’ll _ be crow-food.” Lightningfur meowed aggressively.

“Let’s just concentrate on helping Morningflower,” she mewed. “We need to get some more water mint down her.”

She chewed up more of the leaves, and asked Crowfeather to hold Morningflower’s jaws open while she pushed the pulp into her mouth, praying that the old cat wouldn’t vomit it up again. She flinched as Crowfeather’s flank brushed hers, making her fur tingle like the air before a storm. He leaped back too, then stepped forward again without meeting her eyes, as if he were embarrassed.

Lightningfur had noticed her niece and the Windclan warrior awkwardly moving around each other. Sure, she had a habit of trying to pair cats up, but she was wary about  _ this _ particular pairing.

Morningflower had gone limp again, as if she were exhausted. Leafpaw sat beside her, stroking her belly gently with her tail. Lightingfur kept her green eyes narrowed onto the dark gray tom, who was watching Leafpaw. 

After a while, Crowfeather whispered;

“Are they getting better?”

“I think so,” Leafpaw replied. “I’m sure Darkfoot will be fine. It’s Morningflower I’m worried about.”

“Leafpaw.” A shadow fell across Morningflower’s body, and Lightningfur turned around to see Barkface. “It’s good to see you.”

He spoke around a leaf-wrapped bundle; when he set it down the leaves fell back to show a few shriveled juniper berries.

“Barkface, I hope you don’t mind,” Leafpaw began nervously. “I met some of your Clan in the woods, and they said Morningflower was very ill. We’ve had the same trouble, so—”

Barkface interrupted her with a wave of the tail. 

“You’re very welcome. I’ve no idea yet where the best herbs grow—I found only one juniper bush, and birds must have taken most of the berries.” Sniffing carefully at Morningflower, he added,

“She’s better than when I left. What are you giving her— water mint? Good thinking, though I’d use juniper myself, if I could find enough.”

“Can I go, then?” Crowfeather asked loudly.

“Oh, yes, yes.” Barkface waved him away. “I can take over now.” As Crowfeather passed her, Lightningfur muttered;

“I’m watching you.”

Leafpaw watched Crowfeather go, wondering why she was feeling disappointed. She hated the idea of falling out with any cat, but it hurt even more when Crowfeather was a friend of Squirrelflight’s—though what her sister saw in him, she couldn’t begin to guess.

“You’d better go too, Leafpaw,” Barkface meowed. “You’ve done good work here, and your own Clan will be needing you.”

Leaving what was left of the water mint, Leafpaw rose to her paws.

“Let me know how Morningflower gets on.”

“I will. I’ll get a message to you somehow,” Barkface promised.

Leafpaw pushed her way out of the bush, Lightningfur behind her. Deadfoot was in the center of the camp with some of his warriors around him, and she decided to tell him she was leaving. Her steps faltered when she saw that one of the cats talking to the Clan leader was Mudclaw.

Deadfoot spotted her. 

“How’s Morningflower?” he asked.

“I think she’ll be fine. Barkface is with her now.”

“We can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done,” the WindClan leader meowed, his eyes warm. “Tornear told me  that when he met you, he and Lightningfur,” said she-cat flicked her tail. “We’re having a dispute over the boundary in the woods. I’ve decided that we’ll leave that area to ThunderClan from now on. We’ll put our scent markers at the edge of the trees, close to the foot of the hill.”

“That’s very generous of you!” Leafpaw began, but she was interrupted by a growl from Mudclaw.

“Are you completely mousebrained?” rasped the mottled tom. “You’re giving away WindClan territory for a pawful of healing herbs? Barkface was perfectly capable of treating the sick cats without this apprentice sticking her nose in.” Lightningfur drew her lips into a snarl at the insult to her niece.

Onewhisker, who was part of the cats around Deadfoot, spun to face him. 

“Mudclaw, you are a fool if you think this is about nothing more than herbs. Think of everything ThunderClan has done for us. How many lifetimes would it take to repay them? Without their friendship, every cat in WindClan would be crow-food by now.”

Mudclaw snarled, curling his lip to reveal sharp yellow teeth, and Leafpaw had to sink her claws into the ground to stop herself from shrinking away. One or two of the other warriors were looking uneasy, too, including Crowfeather. She waited for him to back Mudclaw up, and say that she shouldn’t have come, but the lean gray warrior said nothing.

“I don’t want to hear of any fighting over the border with ThunderClan,” Deadfoot growled. “That stretch of woodland isn’t much use to us. Since when has WindClan hunted among trees?”

“There’s more than prey among trees.” Webfoot stepped forward to stand beside Mudclaw. “Herbs, for one thing. I know Barkface needs plants that we’d never find on open moorland.”

“That’s enough!” Deadfoot snapped. “There’s plenty of territory left, and Barkface never had trouble finding supplies before.”

His warriors dipped their heads, respecting their leader’s orders. Mudclaw turned away, muttering, “Traitor!” in a voice just loud enough to be overheard.

Leafpaw’s belly clenched with anxiety. She wondered what would happen if Mudclaw were to challenge Deadfoot for the leadership. How many cats would support him with tooth and claw?

“You’ll want to be getting back,” Deadfoot meowed. “Crowfeather, please go with Leafpaw and Lightningfur as far as their camp and tell Firestar my decision.”  **(Deadfoot: LeafCrow Shipper #1)**

Crowfeather looked up, his eyes wide. 

“Me?”

_ Oh, no, _ Leafpaw thought. Aloud she hissed, 

“You don’t have to. I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself. Just because I’m a medicine cat doesn’t mean I don’t know how to use my claws.”

“Plus I’m there.” Lightingfur agreed. “Nothing would dare go for Leafpaw with me around.”

Deadfoot flicked his ears at her. 

“Crowfeather, that was an order.”

Crowfeather still looked appalled, but he heaved an exaggerated sigh. 

“Come on. I’ll only get into trouble if I don’t go with you.”

Leafpaw could see she would have to give in. As Crowfeather whisked around and headed up the slope to the edge of the camp, she nodded a hasty farewell to Deadfoot and bounded after the dark gray warrior. He set a fast pace, not asking the Thunderclan she-cats if they could keep up. He was so rude, she couldn’t be bothered trying to make conversation, but even in the silence the air between them crackled like greenleaf lightning. He obviously hated the idea that a ThunderClan cat had done his Clan a favor.

As a medicine cat, Leafpaw lived outside the Clan-based rivalries held by other cats. If this was what it felt like, she was glad she didn’t have to treat cats like enemies just because they came from different Clans. Although Crowfeather had been one of the journeying cats, he had fallen back quicker than any cat into the old ways. With his bristling fur and awkward sidelong glances, he seemed only too ready to rekindle the old rivalries.

Leafpaw heaved a sigh of relief when they came to the stream. They were higher up than the place where ThunderClan had crossed the night before, and Crowfeather led her nimbly across some stepping-stones back into ThunderClan territory. Not long after she recognized the bushes that surrounded the top of the stone hollow. Leafpaw took the lead and followed the slope of the land down to the gap in the cliffs. When they reached the entrance she saw that a thorn barrier was partly in place, and inside, a fresh-kill pile had appeared on a cleared space among the brambles.

Firestar was standing by the thicket where Ferncloud and her kits had spent the night. Squirrelflight was helping Ferncloud drag out long tendrils of bramble.

“We could make a good nursery in here,” Ferncloud panted, reaching up with her hindpaw to unhook a thorn from her flank. “It’s right up against the rock wall, so it’ll be sheltered in bad weather. We need to make more space inside, though.”

“That won’t take long,” Squirrelflight assured her, energetically dragging away a bramble twice as long as she was, while Birchkit and Larchkit pounced playfully on the other end.

Brambleclaw appeared with a ball of moss and carried it through the entrance of the new nursery. Leafpaw was impressed that a warrior was prepared to help with apprentice tasks; Brambleclaw was obviously determined to settle his Clanmates into the home he had found for them.

Ferncloud followed him inside to help him arrange it. Birchkit gave up hunting the end of Squirrelflight’s bramble, and bundled after his mother. Larchkit stayed outside and tumbed around, batting at anything that came near her.

“Firestar, Crowfeather’s here.” Leafpaw dipped her head to her Clan leader. “He came back with me from WindClan.”

“Thanks.” Firestar padded over to the young WindClan warrior. “Is everything okay?”

“Leafpaw helped Morningflower.” Crowfeather sounded distinctly ungrateful. “And Deadfoot asked me to tell you that ThunderClan can be the first to set scent markers in the woodland across the stream. He’s happy for WindClan’s boundary to be set at the edge of the trees.”

Firestar’s eyes stretched wide in surprise; he clearly hadn’t expected to win that territory so easily. 

“That’s very good of Deadfoot,” he replied. “Thank him for me.”

“And thanks for bringing us back,” Leafpaw added. Just because Crowfeather had behaved like a fox with a thorn in its paw didn’t mean she had to be rude too.

Crowfeather gave her a long look, hostility and something

else in his eyes.  **(What is that ‘something else’ I wonder….)** He seemed about to say something, then just nodded and headed out of the camp.

“Hey!” Squirrelflight called after him. “Ignore your old friends, why don’t you?”

The WindClan warrior didn’t look back, and vanished among the ferns.

Firestar stared at the quivering green fronds that had swallowed Crowfeather up, an unreadable look in his eyes. He and Lightningfur exchanged a quick, knowing glance.

Brambleclaw reappeared from the nursery without his burden of moss. Larchkit mock growled and pounced on his tail.

“Hey!” the tabby warrior meowed. He flicked his tail around. “That my tail, Larchkit.” he pawed a stick over to her. “Try pouncing on that instead.” Larchkit squatted down and wriggled her hunches. Brambleclaw gently corrected her stance with one paw, and she squeaked as she lept, landing squarely on the stick and snapping it.

“I killed it!” she screeched. “I’m gonna be a  _ great _ hunter!”

“I’m sure you will.” Brambleclaw meowed. Squirrelflight padded over to him and the two gently touched noses. Firestar was gazing from Brambleclaw to Larchkit, and nodded like he had just made a decision. Leafpaw’s attention, however, was on her sister and Brambleclaw.

That was a part of life that a medicine cat would never know. She saw the love in Squirrelflight’s gaze as it followed Brambleclaw as he patiently answered Larchkit’s rapid-fire questions, and remembered how deeply the two cats cared for each other. A tiny empty space appeared inside her when she realized no cat would ever feel that way about her.

Dustpelt emerged from the bramble thicket with another long tendril dragging behind him, and almost tripped over Birchkit as the kit hurled himself at the trailing end.

“Birchkit! You’re more trouble than a fox in a fit.”

“Don’t scold him,” Ferncloud murmured, following her mate into the open. “It’s great that he feels happy enough to play.”

Dustpelt purred agreement, his eyes shining as the two cats watched their kit growl fiercely at the bramble, gripping it between his teeth and shaking his head from side to side. Brambleclaw had left to continue his work, but Larchkit had joined her brother in his fight against the brambles.

As Leafpaw looked on, the hollow place inside her got bigger. She would never feel for another cat what Squirrelflight felt for Brambleclaw, or enjoy the closeness of a mate and kits. She had never doubted her decision to give her life to StarClan and tread a medicine cat’s solitary path—but suddenly she couldn’t help wondering if she was missing something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Crowfeather & Leafpaw being in close proximity to eachother*
> 
> Deadfoot: I'm gonna pull what's called a 'pro-gamer' move.


	36. Brambleclaw & Tawnypelt Engage In Infiltrating 101

Cool grass swept against Brambleclaw’s pelt as he prowled through the undergrowth. He could hear the scuttering of tiny creatures underneath the bushes, and his senses were flooded with the scent of prey.

Before he could make a catch, he emerged into an open space. An almost-full moon hung in the clear sky, outlining every grass stem and leaf with pale silver rays. Just in front of him the ground fell away into a cleft, with rocks jutting from its steep sides.

Brambleclaw stared in astonishment. This was the ravine leading down to the old ThunderClan camp. He lifted his head and sniffed cautiously. There was no harsh tang of Twoleg monsters in the air, no noise louder than the gentle rustle of the wind in the trees. Their home was safe! The destruction of the forest, the fear and hunger, the long journey through the mountains, had been nothing more than a dream.

Brambleclaw pelted down the ravine to the gorse tunnel at the bottom, his heart nearly bursting with happiness. In a few heartbeats he would see all his Clanmates again: Graystripe would never have been captured by Twolegs; all Ferncloud’s kits would still be alive; the elders would be in their den, querulously ordering the apprentices to get rid of their ticks.

Trembling with excitement, Brambleclaw pushed his way through the gorse tunnel into the camp, his jaws parted to let out a yowl of greeting. Then he stopped dead. The clearing was completely empty, except for one cat sitting alone in the middle of the open space. The cat raised his head and gazed at Brambleclaw with scorching amber eyes.

It was Tigerstar.

Brambleclaw almost choked with shock and disbelief. Graystripe’s capture, the death of Ferncloud’s kits, the endless journey—all those things were real. This was the dream, and it had suddenly become a nightmare.

Tigerstar kinked his tail and beckoned Brambleclaw to come closer. Brambleclaw stiffened, then padded slowly forward. As he drew closer he saw his father more clearly, his muscular shoulders and broad head, his burning amber eyes.

“Welcome,” Tigerstar rumbled. “I have waited for many moons to speak with you.”

Brambleclaw stopped a couple of tail-lengths away. He had no idea what to say. All he could think was that he was the image of his father—the breadth of his shoulders, the shape of his head, the exact shade of his eyes. He could have been staring at his reflection in a pool.

“I have seen your courage and strength,” Tigerstar went on. “I am proud to call you kin.”

“Th-thank you.” Brambleclaw kneaded his forepaws on the ground. “Why have you come here?”  _ This was what Lionblaze was telling me and Tawnypelt about. _ Brambleclaw thought. The entrance rustled and Tawnypelt slid in, eyes widening as she spotted their father.

“Tawnypelt,” Tigerstar welcomed. “Come.” he beckoned her, and she hesitantly paced forward, standing next to Brambleclaw. Tigerstar remained staring at the barrier, and Brambleclaw and Tawnypel turned when he meowed;

“Welcome, I hoped you would come. I’ve looked forward to meeting you.”

Tigerstar’s first-born kits turned and saw Hawkfrost emerging from the gorse tunnel, followed by the lithe, black figure of Frogspeck. He watched in stunned silence as the tabby RiverClan warrior padded across the clearing and sat beside him. The moonlight cast a pair of identical shadows on the hard-baked ground in front of them. Brambleclaw realized that anyone could see that he and Hawkfrost were kin, and Tawnypelt and Frogspeck shared the same slim figure.

He and Tawnypelt exchanged looks, fur brushing against each other to offer support to the other. Frogspeck was hanging back, amber eyes - like Brambleclaw and Tigerstar’s - wary.

“Are you Tigerstar?” Hawkfrostthen asked, reminding Brambleclaw that Hawkfrost had arrived in the forest after his father was killed. “Are you my father?”

Tigerstar nodded. 

“I am. So, how are your new territories?”

“It’s hard being somewhere so different,” Hawkfrost admitted.

“We all miss the forest,” Brambleclaw reluctantly added.

“Soon the land by the lake will seem like home to you,” Tigerstar promised. “Establish your boundaries and guard them with tooth and claw, because territory is what binds a Clan together.”

“Yes!” Hawkfrost’s eyes gleamed. “RiverClan has set its scent markers already. Yesterday Blackclaw and I drove out a badger that was living in our territory.”

“Good, good.” Tigerstar’s ears pricked, and he raised his head as if he heard a voice calling him. Above the trees, the sky was growing pale with the first light of dawn. “I must go now,” the dark tabby meowed. “Good-bye. We will meet again as we walk the path of dreams; of that I’m sure.”

He rose to his paws. At that moment a cloud drifted over the face of the moon, plunging the clearing into darkness for a single heartbeat. When it cleared, Tigerstar was gone.

For a few heartbeats, the four living cats stood there, staring at each other.

“We must go too.” Hawkfrost meowed. Frogspeck nodded, then shot his half-siblings a look that said;  _ We have to talk. _ Brambleclaw woke with a start.

He looked around the den and saw Tawnypelt was awake as well. The two shared a look. They both knew that the dream they shared had been real.

By sunhigh the whole Clan had eaten well, and there was a good pile of fresh-kill left over. When they had finished their meal, they stayed in the center of the hollow, where bushes had been cleared away to make a space for the Clan to gather. It was time for Spiderpaw’s warrior ceremony.

There was no Highrock like the one in the old camp. Instead, Firestar had found a ledge a few tail-lengths above the heads of the other cats, which he reached by leaping up a tumble of broken rock that made rough stepping-stones up the cliff. Just below the ledge—already cats were beginning to call it the Highledge—there was a narrow cleft that opened into a cave where Firestar had decided to make his den. Of all the dens in the new camp, this was most like the one in the ravine, enclosed by lichen-covered walls and with a dry, sandy floor.

Firestar raised his voice in a yowl, his pelt a splash of red flame against the blue-gray rock. 

“Let all those cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the ledge for a Clan meeting.”

Brambleclaw’s pelt tingled to hear the familiar words ring around the hollow. He watched the leggy black figure of Spiderpaw, his pelt groomed until it was as glossy as a raven’s wing, cross the clearing to stand beside his mentor, Mousefur.

She looked thin and shaky, as if she were still not quite recovered from her bellyache, but her eyes shone with pride as her apprentice joined her.

Brambleclaw wriggled forward, joining Squirrelflight who was sitting beside Stonebrook, Icefoot, and Creekflower.

“We have a ceremony to perform,” Firestar meowed as soon as all the cats were settled. “Mousefur, are you satisfied that Spiderpaw is ready to become a warrior?”

The brown warrior dipped her head. 

“I am.”

Firestar ran lightly down the broken rocks until he reached the floor of the hollow, and beckoned Spiderpaw closer to him with his tail. Spiderpaw stepped forward, quivering from nose to tail.

“I, Firestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice.” Firestar’s voice rang out clearly above the sound of the wind and the gentle creak of branches on the rim of the hollow. “He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn.” He fixed his gaze on Spiderpaw and went on, “Spiderpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

“I do,” Spiderpaw replied eagerly.

“Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Spiderpaw, from this moment you will be known as Spiderleg. StarClan honors your courage and your enthusiasm, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan.”

He took a pace forward and rested his muzzle on the top of Spiderleg’s head. The young warrior gave Firestar’s shoulder a respectful lick, then stepped back to join the other warriors.

“Spiderleg! Spiderleg!” The Clan raised their voices to greet him by his new name. Dustpelt looked ready to burst with pride, and Ferncloud’s eyes were shining with joy to see their eldest son made a warrior at last. Birchkit and Larchkit bounced around their brother’s paws. Firestar raised his tail for silence and the noise died away, all the Clan turning curious faces toward him.

“Before we go to our duties, I have another ceremony to perform,” Firestar meowed. “Mousefur and I have been talking together, and she has come to a decision. Mousefur, are you still sure that this is what you want?”

The old she-cat dipped her head in assent as she stepped forward.

“Mousefur,” Firestar continued, “is it your wish to give up the name of warrior and go to join the elders?”

Brambleclaw thought he heard a tremor in her voice as she mewed, 

“It is.” He guessed it was hard for the proud warrior to accept that she was growing old; the combination of the long journey and her recent illness had proved that she was not as strong as she used to be. Sadness chilled his fur as he remembered her courage and her fighting skills.

“Your Clan honors you and all the service you have given us,” Firestar went on. “I call upon StarClan to give you many seasons of rest.” He laid his tail upon Mousefur’s shoulders and the old cat bowed her head before padding over to stand beside Longtail, Goldenflower, Brindleface, Whitestorm, and Willowpelt.

“I don’t need too much rest, Firestar,” she rasped. “I’ll still keep my claws sharp, and if trouble comes I’ll be ready.”

A murmur of amusement and admiration rose from the cats around her, and one or two of them called out,

“Mousefur! Mousefur!” as if they were welcoming a new warrior. Goldenflower gave her a friendly lick around the ears.

The meeting began to break up. Brambleclaw went over to congratulate Spiderleg and noticed Firestar beckoning him.

“I’ve noticed that you’ve taken an interest in Larchkit,” he began. “And I've been thinking...would you like to mentor her, when she becomes six moons old?” Brambleclaw’s eyes widened.

“Really?” he asked. Firestar nodded. “Okay, I would.”

“Good.” the dark red tom meowed. He turned to go, then paused and glanced over his shoulder. “Get some rest, Brambleclaw,” he advised. “You’ll be coming to the Gathering tonight.”

Brambleclaw blinked, hoping his leader couldn’t see the anticipation that surged through him, making his fur stand on end.

“Is Tawnypelt coming to?” he asked.

“Yes she is.” Firestar flicked his tail towards the warriors’ den. “Now get some sleep, you’ll need it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brambleclaw, into his mic: Pelt of Tawny, you there? Worst Dad Ever is here.
> 
> Tawnypelt, into her mic: Clawed Brambles, I'm here, anyone else in the vicinity?
> 
> Brambleclaw: Speck of Frog and Frosty Hawk are.
> 
> Frogspeck, intercepting their conversation: Bro, sis, we need to talk.


	37. Sparkpaw Sasses Her Uncle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last one for today! Have a great week!

Needlepaw laided in the clearing, near the stump. She was watching for Alderpaw and Sparkpaw, and was impatiently pawing at the ground.

She was proud to say that she had helped Shadowclan figure out where all the dens were at and where all the best hunting spots were at. She loved this Shadowclan, and it made her heart heavy at the thought of how her clan was like in her time. She wished Blackstar had lived longer, or chose a better successor than Rowanstar. And she wished...she wished she could stay. In  _ this _ Shadowclan. This was the Shadowclan she had heard in nursery stories, and the Shadowclan she wanted to grow up in. But she knew that was not going to happen. She, and the others, would be sent back to their original timeline, and she would have to deal with that Shadowclan. The one that didn’t understand her.  _ But at least,  _ she thought, jumping to her paws, tail kinked.  _ Alderpaw and Sparkpaw will be there to help me through it. _ Her closest friends had just arrived, and she dashed over to them, purring.

“Needlepaw!” Sparkpaw called. They touched noses, and the Shadowclan apprentice and Alderpaw brushed muzzles. “How’s Shadowclan doing?”

“Pretty good!” the silver tabby answered. “We’ve got our dens figured out, still building though.”

“Same here.” Alderpaw meowed. The three settled down to talk. “Anything else going on?” Needlepaw shrugged.

“Just some cats wondering if Firestar will appoint a new deputy.”

“Humph.” That was Sparkpaw. “He won’t for a little while yet.” her eyes then sparkled. “Is anyone guessing?”

“Yep.” Needlepaw confirmed. “Some think Icefoot will, some think Brackenfur will, some think it’ll be Lightningfur. Those are the top three in Shadowclan.”

“How wrong they are.” Alderpaw meowed. He then paused and gestured to his right. Needlepaw turned and spotted Hawkfrost talking with Brambleclaw.

“Should we go gatecrashing?” she asked.

“Sure!” Sparkpaw meowed. As the made their way over, Needlepaw heard Hawkfrost meowing;

“It’s tough to have loyalties divided. We all have friends in other Clans now, and yet we have to act as if being rivals is the only thing that matters.” Needlepaw was uncomfortable that she agreed with him on that. Her only good friends were both in Thunderclan.

“It is hard to forget what we’ve been through.” Brambleclaw replied delicately.

Hawkfrost twitched his tail. 

“I was just saying the same thing to Mudclaw, actually. He’s been telling me about the problems in WindClan.”

Brambleclaw stiffened. 

“What problems?”

“Don’t you know?” Hawkfrost’s eyes glinted with surprise. “The way Deadfoot won’t establish firm boundaries, for starters. According to Mudclaw, he gave a whole slice of territory to ThunderClan in return for some healing herbs.”

Needlepaw narrowed her eyes as he got closer. It looked like Mudclaw was using anything he could to suggest that Deadfoot wasn’t fit to be Clan leader.

“Perhaps Tallstar made a mistake when he chose Deadfoot to follow him,” Hawkfrost went on. “It would be a pity for WindClan if their leader wasn’t strong enough. Not the best start for their new life.”

“I’m sure Deadfoot can be a great leader,” Brambleclaw argued, eyes becoming frosty. Needlepaw knew that Brambleclaw fiercely supported Firestar, who was supporting Deadfoot. So Brambleclaw was firmly on Deadfoot’s side. “There’s no reason why WindClan can’t be as strong as any Clan in their new home.”

“It takes a strong leader to make a strong Clan,” meowed Hawkfrost. “Deadfoot hasn’t received his name or his nine lives yet. Could that be a sign that he doesn’t have StarClan’s approval?”

“No,” Alderpaw interrupted. “Couldn’t help but overhear, but I know that’s not a sign. Signs from Starclan usually deal with nature, the plants and animals around us. Deadfoot will be getting his lives. We just have to find the Moonpool first.”

“My brother’s right, ya know.” Sparkpaw agreed. “He’s learned everything from Jayfeather, who is quite knowledgeable about all things medicine cat.” Hawkfrost dipped his head.

“Of course, but Mudclaw feels the same,” Hawkfrost went on. “He knows his Clanmates need strong leadership now more than any other time. Every cat knows it’s hard to fix new boundaries when we’ve all been living so close together, but if we don’t, how will the Clans support themselves? What we decide now will affect every cat for many seasons to come. WindClan could end up starving if Deadfoot doesn’t claim enough territory.” Needlepaw shrugged.

“Yeah, that’s true, but I’m pretty sure Deadfoot knows how much territory Windclan needs. He has been their deputy for a  _ long _ time.”

Hawkfrost narrowed his eyes. 

“Speaking of deputies,” he turned to Brambleclaw. “When’s Firestar going to make you his?”

Brambleclaw scuffed his forepaws among the dead leaves.

“There are more experienced warriors⎯”

Hawkfrost flicked his tail dismissively. 

“Older warriors,” he corrected, “but more experienced? I think not. How many of them could have made your journey to the sun-drown-place, and then led us here? You’re strong and skillful and you uphold the warrior code. Why shouldn’t you be deputy?”

“Firestar has good reasons for not appointing a new deputy,” Brambleclaw dodged.

“Are you talking about Graystripe?” Hawkfrost blinked. “Every cat knows Graystripe is dead. He’d go down fighting rather than let Twolegs turn him into a kittypet. There’s only one reason Firestar won’t appoint you deputy, and you know it as well as I do. It’s because of who your father was. Because of who  _ our  _ father was.”

“Uh, that’s where I disagree.” Sparkpaw meowed, before playfully swatting at her father. “Graystripe will come back, but he was alright with not being deputy. He told me that leadership wasn’t for him, and he approved of Firestar’s choice. Not that I’ll tell you who it was.” she gave Hawkfrost the stink eye. Brambleclaw looked amused at his daughter’s sassy tone.

As the orange tabby spoke, the flicker of a dark red pelt caught Needlepaw’s eye as Squirrelflight hurtled around the stump. Not looking where she was going, she nearly crashed into Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost, skidding to a halt just in time.

“Sorry, I was looking for⎯” She broke off as her green gaze took in the cats in front of her. “Oh, it’s you,” she mewed ungraciously to Hawkfrost.

“Greetings, Squirrelflight.” The RiverClan warrior dipped his head politely. “We were just discussing WindClan. We’re afraid there’ll be trouble if Deadfoot doesn’t receive his nine lives soon.”

“You mean  _ you _ are afraid that there’ll be trouble.” Needlepaw muttered.

Squirrelflight was gazing at Hawkfrost with undisguised hostility, her neck fur beginning to bristle.

“What’s that got to do with RiverClan?” she demanded.

Hawkfrost’s ice-blue eyes widened, but he said nothing.

Mistyfoot bounded up to join her Clanmate. 

“Leopardstar wants you, Hawkfrost,” she meowed. “We have to discuss what we’re going to report at the Gathering.”

“Our final decisions about the boundaries,” Hawkfrost explained to Brambleclaw.

“Not just that,” mewed Mistyfoot. “Leopardstar wants to tell the other Clans how you and Blackclaw drove off that badger.”

Hawkfrost shrugged. 

“Any cat would have done the same,” he meowed, but there was an edge of pride in his voice.

The two cats padded away in the direction of where Frogspeck was talking quietly with Shadecloud. Needlepaw blinked.  _ Is it me, or does Shadecloud look a little...plumper than usual? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUN!
> 
> Sparkpaw: I'm the sassiest, sasser of a sass cat that ever sassily lived in the sassy world!
> 
> Everyone:.................
> 
> Sparkpaw: SASSYPAW!


	38. Jayfeather Admits To Felony (Reference To Long Shadows)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters today! Almost done with a third. WE'RE SO CLOSE!

Leafpaw stood at the edge of the clearing and watched the four Clans slip back and forth, cautiously greeting old friends and looking for good places to sit. She wanted to ask Crowfeather how Morningflower was getting on, and if she had eaten the herbs Leafpaw had left for her. She knew he was here, because she had seen him with his Clanmates when ThunderClan and WindClan met beside the horseplace. But he had been padding along with his head down, as if he didn’t want to talk to her or any other cat. Now he had vanished. He couldn’t be more annoying if he tried! Leafpaw thought in frustration.

“Leafpaw! Leafpaw, are you dreaming?”

A paw prodded her in the side. Leafpaw jumped as she realized that Cinderpelt was calling to her. At the same moment she spotted Crowfeather across the clearing.

“Sorry, Cinderpelt,” she murmured.

“When the Gathering’s over,” Cinderpelt meowed, “the medicine cats are going to stay behind.”

Leafpaw pricked her ears. 

“Has one of them had a sign about the new Moonstone?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.” Then she added more briskly, “Come on, let’s find somewhere to sit. The Gathering will start shortly.”

“They better get a move on,” Jayfeather meowed as he joined them. “I don’t like sitting in this open area, the prey I would give for us to be on the island!” his mew trailed off into a mutter.

Leafpaw glanced at Crowfeather, wondering if she’d have a chance to speak with him first.

Cinderpelt’s gaze followed hers. 

“Take care where your affections fall, Leafpaw,” she warned quietly. “Remember that you are a medicine cat.” Jayfeather’s blind blue eyes - like Crowfeather’s - flicked between the apprentice and Windclan warrior.

“I do remember,” Leafpaw protested. “You don’t think I feel any affection for that bad-tempered furball, do you? Every time we see each other he tries to make trouble. I just wanted to know if Barkface had given Morningflower the rest of the water mint; that’s all.”

Cinderpelt looked at her and exchanged a glance with Jayfeather, the faintest hint of disbelief in her pale blue eyes before leading the way over to the other cats. Leafpaw trailed behind, thinking furious thoughts about the WindClan warrior. Affection? She hated every last hair on his pelt!  **(Ya sure ‘bout dat?)**

Cinderpelt settled down near the tree stump, hitching her injured leg underneath her. Leafpaw was about to sit down as well when she spotted Jayfeather glaring at Ashfur, who was staring mutinously at Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw, who were in a deep conversation with each other and Alderpaw and Sparkpaw. As she watched, Brambleclaw bent down and licked Sparkpaw’s head as she chattered and reenacted some battle moves. Alderpaw dropped into a crouch and swatted at his sister, giving her a playful hiss. Her eyes gleamed as she, too, dropped into a crouched and brother and sister began batting and swatting at each other. Squirrelflight was was giving out pointers, green eyes filled with laughter as her future kits played around with each other.  _ They must know now, _ Leafpaw thought. _ It is nice to know when you share someone else’s blood... _

Blood . . . 

The word echoed in Leafpaw’s ears, and she recoiled.  _ Blood will spill blood, and the lake will run red. _ She had forgotten about her terrible dream, but now it flooded back into her mind, the water lapping thick and slow like a seeping wound. What did it mean? Whose blood would be spilled?

She looked around for Cinderpelt, desperate to ask her about it, but Firestar, Blackstar, and Leopardstar were standing on the tree stump, ready to begin. Jayfeather, sitting beside her, gazed at her, eyes narrowed, then leaned over and whispered; “We’ll talk later.” she blinked, confused but nodded.

Deadfoot paced over, gave the other leaders a nod, and settled down at the foot of the trunk.

“The sooner we find the Moonpool the better,” Jayfeather meowed quietly. “We haven’t been able to go look for it with all the work we’ve had to do.” Leafpaw nodded.

“We could have a look around in a couple days.” she suggested. Jayfeather nodded, eyes fixed on the leaders.

Blackstar addressed the Gathering first. 

“As we agreed before, we have set our boundary markers along the small Thunderpath leading to the lake,” he announced. “Leopardstar, I hope that suits you?” His gaze bored into the RiverClan leader as if he were daring her to argue.

Leopardstar dipped her head. 

“Perfectly, thank you, Blackstar.”

Blackstar looked surprised, and for a moment Leafpaw couldn’t understand why Leopardstar was being so cooperative. Squirrelflight had told her the small Thunderpath wasn’t all that far from RiverClan’s camp. The new boundaries had been only roughly agreed upon at the previous meeting, and she thought Leopardstar might have tried to extend her territory. Then she realized that if the Thunderpath were left as the boundary, the Twoleg half-bridge and the little nest Squirrelflight had described to her would be in ShadowClan territory. If the Twolegs caused any trouble it would be ShadowClan’s problem.

“Our boundary with ThunderClan has been scent-marked as well,” the ShadowClan leader went on. “We have claimed the territory as far as the stream that flows into the lake, and farther away from the lake, as far as the dead tree on the other side of the stream.”

“I think it would make more sense to make the stream the boundary all along the border,” Firestar meowed calmly.

“It would make more sense to ThunderClan, maybe,” Blackstar retorted. “But the stream curves sharply at the end of the clearing, veering deeper into our territory, and there are pine trees on both banks. Scent marks are scent marks, Firestar. If you don’t like where we have set them, you should have been quicker with your own.” Leafpaw spotted Icefoot rolling his eyes at the Shadowclan leader from where he sat next to Shadecloud, Frogspeck, and Stonebrook. She looked around for her other aunts and uncles and found Lightningfur chilling beside Tornear, Airleap and Copperleaf lounging beside Mistyfoot and Stonefur. Creekflower, as usual, was besdie her son, his mate, Swiftshade, and Whitepaw, giving her youngest brother, and Leafpaw’s father, her complete undivided attention.

The ThunderClan leader gave Blackstar a long look. At last he bent his head.

“Very well,” he mewed. “But ThunderClan has set scent markers on a line stretching from the dead tree to a tall holly and then to an abandoned fox den under a white rock. Set one pawstep past that boundary, and ThunderClan will have something to say.” Icefoot looked smug as his brother lightly threatened the Shadowclan leader. Leafpaw particually didn’t like threats, but she had to admit that Firestar could give one under a demener of calm.

“For our other border,” Firestar went on, looking down at Deadfoot, “I suggest that we stick to our first idea of using the stream that runs at the bottom of the hill. That way, cats of both Clans will have access to the water.”

“Good idea,” Leafpaw murmured.

“Yes it is,” Jayfeather meowed. “This is Firestar’s way of turning him down, without making it look as if Onewhisker were being too generous in the first place.”

Leafpaw nodded.

“Thank you, Firestar.” Deadfoot nodded, it was impossible to tell whether it was because he wanted to be able to hunt in the trees, or because he knew this would satisfy his more restless warriors. “That’s fine by us. And we’ll take the fence on the far side of the horseplace as our other border.”

“That leaves the rest of the territory for RiverClan,” meowed Leopardstar.

“Except for where we are now,” Firestar warned. “This place should belong to no Clan, so that we have somewhere to gather.”

The RiverClan leader’s eyes narrowed. 

“You’re very eager to give part of my territory away,” she rasped.

For once Blackstar supported Firestar. 

“We have to gather somewhere, and there isn’t anywhere else with enough room for all of us.”

“This is obviously RiverClan territory,” Leopardstar insisted. “There are important herbs growing in these marshes.”

Firestar touched her shoulder with his tail. 

“Leopardstar, our medicine cats hope that StarClan will show us a better place to gather. We know that we will be able to eventual use the island, but we cannot until the tree bridge is made. Give up your claim for now, and maybe by next full moon you will be able to treat all this as yours.”

Leopardstar hesitated, then responded with a curt nod.

“For now, RiverClan will let the four Clans gather here,” she meowed. “But if there is no sign from StarClan within two moons, we will have to think again.”

Firestar went on to tell the other Clans how ThunderClan was settling in, proudly adding that they had already made a new warrior. 

“Spiderleg keeps his vigil tonight,” he finished.

A shadow fell across the clearing. Leafpaw looked up to see that a cloud had drifted over the moon: not thick enough to hide it completely, but enough to make the night seem dark and eerie. A cold, damp wind swept off the lake, ruffling fur and rattling the branches overhead. Leafpaw noticed some of the cats around her shift uneasily and glance over their shoulders.

“Deadfoot?” Firestar prompted. “Do you have anything to report? Come up here so we can all hear you.” He jumped down so Deadfoot could take his place on the stump.

“We are settling into our camp,” Deadfoot began.

“Speak up—we can’t hear you.” The testy interruption came from Heavystep, a RiverClan elder. Deadfoot twitched his whiskers and gave the elder a respectful dip of the head and repeated, louder;

“We are settling into our camp, and two of our elders were ill, but they are making a good recovery.” Leafpaw pricked her ears, realived at the news. The she stiffened.

Behind where Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw, Alderpaw, and Sparkpaw were sitting, Leafpaw glimpsed something moving in the shadows under the trees. Her pelt prickled with a sense of danger close by. The other cats noticed it too, and half the cats sprang to their paws with their claws extended as two lithe shapes slid out of the darkness. Foxes! Brambleclaw jumped up and shoved his kits behind him, back arched and lips curled in a threatening hiss. Squirrelflight’s eyes were flashing as she unshealthed her claws and slowly advanced, growling, ears flattened.

The foxes, however, crept closer, undaunted by the number of cats in the clearing; Leafpaw saw the gleam of their teeth as they drew their lips back in a snarl. With a fierce yowl, Dustpelt hurled himself at one of them. The fox whirled around, snapping at him, but Dustpelt was too fast, clawing its side and darting away out of range of the pointed snout. Rainwhisker, Hawkfrost, and Russetfur raced over to join him, and behind them more cats padded forward in a snarling, bristling line. Squirrelflight had remained out of it, but stood a the edge of the fight, poised to join in if they needed help. Brambleclaw had chosen to stand protectivly over Alderpaw and Sparkpaw, amber eyes locked onto the threat.  **(CHICKENING)**

Outmatched, the two foxes turned tail and fled, with Dustpelt and a few others hard on their paws. Leafpaw stared into the darkness, her heart pounding, until one by one the cats returned. To her relief, none of them was injured. Dustpelt padded up to the tree stump, flexing his claws.

“They won’t be so curious next time.”

One or two cats congratulated him, but most were still uneasy, peering around into the shadows as if they expected the foxes to come back. Leafpaw looked up at the sky, clearly visible above the sparse thicket of trees, and wished desperately that they could be back at Fourtrees. They had felt safe there, under the shelter of the four giant oaks, knowing their warrior ancestors had trodden the same ground for uncountable seasons. There was no sign that their ancestors had ever walked in this place.

“Right,” Blackstar meowed. “Let’s end this Gathering and go home before anything else happens. Unless any other cat wants to speak?”

There was no reply. The cats began dividing into their Clans. There was none of the usual gossip and leave-taking; every cat wanted to be on their way quickly. Leafpaw bounded over to her sister.

“I have to stay behind,” Leafpaw told Squirrelflight. “There’s a meeting of medicine cats.”

“Will you be okay?” Squirrelflight asked. “Those foxes might be back.”

“If they do,” Sparkpaw meowed. “I’ll hunt them down and  _ shred them _ .” she stood on her hind legs and performed a battle move, a well-rehersed one by how accute her timeing and balence was.

“Also,” Leafpaw added. “Would you come back if Dustpelt had clawed you?”

“I know I wouldn’t.” Brambleclaw meowed.

Squirrelflight brushed Leafpaw’s ear with the tip of her tail. 

“Fair point, but be careful, all the same.” she, Brambleclaw, and Sparkpaw raced off toward the lake. She felt a light touch on her side. Mothwing was standing next to her.

“Come on. We’re meeting over there.” Alderpaw waved his tail in reeting and she touched noses with him in reply. Briefly Leafpaw held her back with a wave of her tail. 

“Are your elders okay?” she asked in a low voice.

Guilt flooded into Mothwing’s eyes. 

“Yes, but I’m so sorry, Leafpaw. I should have checked that water more carefully.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Leafpaw brushed against her comfortingly. “How could you smell the water when you were covered in mouse bile? Everything’s fine now, and it just meant we had to find new supplies of herbs more quickly than we might have done. That’s a good thing.”

“Besides,” Alderpaw meowed. “If it makes you feel better, I’ve made plenty of mistakes ever since I become a medicine cat. The first time Jayfeather had me treat someone, I froze up and couldn’t do anything. Just ask Jayfeather, he knows them all.”

“I do,” Jayfeather’s snarky mew interupted. “But I also know you got better at it, abeit a bit slow than I would have liked, but you are doing...well.” the gray tabby flicked the dark red apprentice’s ear. “I also remember the first time you had to treat someone by yourself.”

“It was Sparkpaw.” Alderpaw meowed for clarification. “She had dislocated her leg, and I had to put it back in place. By myself. It was terrifying.” his amber eyes were wide. “I was so scared I would hurt her, or make it worse, but then my inner voice, who sounds like Jayfeather really,” said tom huffed. “Told me to suck it up and get it done.”

Mothwing purred with laughter and Leafpaw’s whiskers twitched as Jayfeather meowed;

“Good to know I’m a great motivator.”

Mothwing led the Thunderclan cats to the brambles where the medicine cats had met before, when they first arrived at the lake. Cinderpelt and Barkface were already crouched on a bed of dead leaves, dry and sheltered by the wind-ruffled branches. Mothwing and Leafpaw crept in to join them, Jayfeather and Alderpaw sat to one side, and a moment later Littlecloud appeared.

“If there are any more wandering foxes, they won’t find it easy to get at us here,” he remarked as he ducked underneath a bramble to sit beside Cinderpelt.

Barkface, as the oldest medicine cat among them, began the meeting. 

“That incident with the foxes made it clear we need a better place to gather. We also have to find somewhere like the Moonstone where we can share tongues with StarClan. Have any of you had a sign?”

All the cats shook their heads.

“The Moonstone is more urgent,” Cinderpelt pointed out. “Unless Leopardstar changes her mind, we don’t need to worry about a gathering place for another moon, but Deadfoot needs his name and his nine lives now.”

“Leafpaw and I have talked,” Jayfeather meowed. “The Moonpool is around the uper area of the moor and the forest. We’ve decided to take a look around to see if we can find it.”

“That’s a good idea.” Littlecloud meowed. “And if you’re close to it, maybe Starclan will send a sign to lead you to it.”

“But what if there isn’t a sign?” Mothwing asked.

“Perhaps then StarClan wants us to go and look for signs?” Leafpaw suggested.

Cinderpelt nodded. 

“You could be right, Leafpaw. We must keep a careful watch until we meet at the half-moon.”

“If that’s all, we might as well go home,” Barkface rasped. “I just want to thank Leafpaw for the help she gave our elders when they were sick. They’re doing fine now.”

Leafpaw dipped her head.

“Were your elders sick?” Littlecloud asked. “A couple of ours were, too. They must have picked up a bellyache while we were all together. Mothwing, have you had any trouble in RiverClan?”

Mothwing flashed a glance at Leafpaw. 

“Yes.”

“Well, don’t give us any details, will you?” Barkface growled. “Are your elders okay or not? What did you treat them with?”

“Juniper berries. And yes, they’re fine, thanks, Barkface.” Barkface nodded and got up to leave. When the medicine cats wriggled out of the brambles, Mothwing flicked her tail to draw Leafpaw a little way from the others.

“Thanks for not telling them, Leafpaw,” she mewed.

“That’s okay.” Leafpaw could imagine how Mousefur would react if she found out she had been ill because another cat had fed her tainted water.

Mothwing gave her a long look from troubled blue eyes.

“Leafpaw, we are friends, aren’t we?”

“Of course we are,” Leafpaw answered in surprise. Mothwing hesitated, flexing her claws into the ground. At last she took a deep breath and mewed, 

“What Cinderpelt said—about watching for signs from StarClan. You do know I won’t get any, don’t you?”

“What are you talking about? You’re the RiverClan medicine cat! Who else is StarClan going to speak to?”

“Stop pretending, Leafpaw.” Mothwing’s tail twitched impatiently. “To me, StarClan, our warrior ancestors, these signs we’re supposed to interpret—they’re nothing but a bunch of stories to keep the Clans happy.”

Leafpaw stared at her friend in horror. How could you be a medicine cat and not believe in StarClan? 

“B-but you shared tongues with StarClan at the Moonstone, when you were made a medicine cat!” she stammered.

Mothwing lifted her shoulders in a shrug. 

“I had a dream, that’s all. Don’t look so shocked,” she added. “It’s not the end of the world. I can heal my Clan just as well as any medicine cat. I don’t need StarClan to tell me which herb to use.”

Leafpaw opened her mouth to tell Mothwing about the signs she had received, and her precious encounters with Spottedleaf, the former ThunderClan medicine cat, while she slept. Then she realized that Mothwing would dismiss those as dreams, too.

“Come on, Leafpaw,” Mothwing went on. “You said just now that we have to go out and look for our own signs. Why would we need to do that if StarClan is sending them to us?”

“Well . . . yes. But that’s not the point. Looking for signs isn’t the same as making them up.”

Mothwing flicked her ears. 

“It doesn’t sound all that different to me.”

“There are signs that are false, and signs that  _ do _ need to be made up in order for Starclan’s message to pass over.” Jayfeather’s mew was uncharatiscly soft as he approched. “Don’t worry, I already know. I’ve known since I was an apprentice. And,” he added. “I found out on my own.” Mothwing looked slightly realived. “One time I  _ did _ fake a sign-” at Leafpaw’s surprised look he meowed; “Oh, yes I did. But, through that sign Starclan sent a message. Soemtime  _ they _ are the source of the sign, and other times we have to make them for their message to come through.” he fixed his blind, but penetrating eyes on Mothwing. “I’m not saying this to try to convice you to believe, but rather so you have a better understanding of what we define a ‘sign’. Signs can be just about anything, from trees toppling over, to a moth taking flight, even a buring flame in the wet reeds. All of those were signs that Starclan used to show us something, but one of those three were made by cat.”

“Leafpaw! Jayfetaher! Are you coming?” Cinderpelt called. Leafpaw waved her tail in reply.

“Cinderpelt wants you,” Mothwing meowed. “I’ll see you at the next half-moon.” she turned to Jayfeather. “I appreciate that you are willing to accept what I believe, and I appreciate the clarification on the signs. But…”she hesitated. “My moth’s wing sign…” she sighed. “Nevermind, you both have to go. Goodbye.” 

Before Leafpaw could say anything, she bounded away.

Leafpaw padded over to join her mentor as they made their way back to the lakeshore. Mothwing didn’t believe in StarClan! She had always known Mothwing struggled with some parts of being a medicine cat, but she had thought it was just because she found it hard to learn all the different healing herbs. She had never dreamed her friend simply didn’t believe in their warrior ancestors.

Leafpaw let out a long sigh.

“Is everything okay?” Cinderpelt asked.

Leafpaw gulped. She didn’t want her mentor to start asking questions about Mothwing. 

“Yes, fine, thanks,” she replied.

“That sigh wasn’t anything to do with a certain WindClan warrior, was it?”

Leafpaw blinked. Jayfeather and Alderpaw exchanged quick looks.

“No, it wasn’t,” she retorted. “Nothing to do with a certain WindClan warrior at all!”

Cinderpelt’s eyes glinted but she said nothing more.

Leafpaw gazed at the starshine reflected in the lake and forced herself to see it with Mothwing’s eyes, as nothing more than specks of light. A shiver rippled through her from whiskers to tail-tip.  _ No! _ She had to trust that her warrior ancestors had meant the Clans to come to this place.

_ StarClan, show us we are meant to be here, _ she prayed, but if any of the shining spirits replied, she did not hear them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Interrogator: Did you or did you not cause the toppling of Shadowclan's pines in the book Long Shadows?
> 
> Jayfeather: It was a sign.
> 
> Interrogator: A sign.
> 
> Jayfeather: A sign from Starclan.
> 
> Interrogator: That wasn't a sign from Starclan, it was faked!
> 
> Jayfeather: No it wasn't! I made the sign, but Starclan made the sign!
> 
> Interrogator:.....................I don't understand.
> 
> Jayfeather: Well there's a surprise. Not.


	39. Leafpaw, Alderpaw, and Sorreltail Go For A Frolick In The Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 39 of 43! Four more to go, the first of those four in progress!

In the days following the Gathering, Alderpaw noticed that Leafpaw was searching desperately for anything that could be interpreted as a sign from StarClan. She roamed through the woods, finding places by the stream where burdock and marigold grew, and thick clumps of chervil closer to the camp. But even though it was useful to find new stocks of healing herbs, they didn’t lead her to a place where the Clans could meet with their warrior ancestors. They hadn’t yet been able to go looking for the Moonpool just yet, there was just so much to do!

He and Jayfeather had pointed out where the medicine den was at, and the warriors were now working through the brambles.

“There you are!” Cinderpelt meowed, limping across the clearing to meet Leafpaw. “Come and look at this.”

Leafpaw followed her over to the tallest part of the cliff, and Alderpaw pointed out the brambles that had rooted themselves in a crack a few tail-lengths up the rock, their long tendrils hanging down in a curtain.

“The brambles here were really thorny,” Cinderpelt explained. “Far too thick for shelter, so this morning I asked Rainwhisker and Sootfur to shift them. And look what they found.”

She slipped behind the prickly curtain, beckoning with her tail. Leafpaw peered carefully around the tendrils and stopped dead in amazement. A deep cleft yawned in front of them, stretching far enough back that the corners were lost in shadow. At one side water dripped down to form a tiny pool. The rest of the floor was covered with broken rock, but in between there were patches of sand that Alderpaw knew to be cool and dry to lie on.

Cinderpelt’s eyes gleamed in the semidarkness. 

“A perfect medicine cat’s den!” she announced. “What do you think?”

Leafpaw gazed around. This was, Alderpaw knew, much better than the spot under the overhang where the four of them had been sleeping until now. The little pool meant sick cats could drink easily and there were plenty of cracks in the rock where they could store herbs. 

“It’s great!” Leafpaw mewed excitedly. “I’ll clear out the broken rocks and bring some moss for a nest.”

“I’ll help!” Alderpaw meowed.

Cinderpelt called Firestar to see the discovery, and the Clan leader summoned Cloudtail and Brightheart to help clear out the den. By the time daylight faded everything was ready, with comfortable nests of moss and bracken for all the medicine cats.

Alderpaw curled up in his new nest and tucked his nose under his tail. He was warm and sheltered beneath the tangle of brambles, and the cleft was barely a tail-length away, so they could be with a sick cat in less than two heartbeats if they called out during the night. Worn out from moving rocks all afternoon, he shut his eyes.

Almost at once he found himself padding along the shore of the lake.

“Greetings, Alderpaw.” Alderpaw spun around and saw Thunderstar, paws tucked under him. The apprentice gave a respectful dip of the head.

“Do you need to tell me something?” he asked. Thunderstar rose.

“Nothing of importance just yet.” he paused, looking around. “Half Moon told me that she and many others traveled from here, to the mountains. Then she, as Stoneteller, sent off the cats who would form the Clans. The cat who convinced her to leave in the first place was a tom named Jay’s Wing.” Thunderstar’s eyes bored into Alderpaw’s. “I believe you know him.” Alderpaw tilted his head, confused. How would he know someone who had lived long ago? “Jay’s Wing had a sister named Dove’s Wing, and helped deliver a tom named Lion’s Roar. The three have been around at the beginning, and will be there at the end.” Alderpaw’s eyes widened, and he gasped as he awoke to the sound of someone scrabbling in their nest.

An owl hooted in the trees overhead, and ALderpaw raised his head as Leafpaw slipped out. He stood and followed, shaking scraps of moss from his fur. It had rained heavily earlier and the walls of the hollow sparkled with raindrops, but now the clouds had cleared away. The moon floated out from behind the trees, and the sky was filled with stars. A cool wind stirred the branches.

“What’s up?” Alderpaw meowed quietly. Leafpaw jumped.

“I had a dream,” she meowed. “I have to go out of camp, I know it.”

“Then let’s go.” Alderpaw meowed. “Two are better than one when it’s night.” Leafpaw nodded and padded quietly toward the camp entrance, Alderpaw following. When they were halfway across the clearing, a tortoiseshell shape appeared from behind some ferns. 

“Leafpaw?” came the surprised mew. It was Sorreltail. “Alderpaw? Where are you going?”

“I-I’m not sure,” Leafpaw admitted. “I’ve had a message from StarClan. I have to go and find our new Moonstone place.”

“Now? Can’t you wait for daylight?”

“No.” Leafpaw flexed her claws. “I have to follow a stream filled with starlight.”

“What stream?” Sorreltail’s tail twitched anxiously. “Is it outside our territory? How do you know where to find it?”

“I just do.”

“Medicine cat intuition.” Alderpaw supplied.

“Then I’m coming with you,” Sorreltail mewed.

“Come on, then!” Leafpaw led the way to the thorn tunnel, where Brackenfur sat on guard with his tail curled neatly around his paws.

“Where are you two going?” he asked, getting up as the three cats approached.

“Just out,” Sorreltail replied.

“I’ve had a sign from StarClan,” Leafpaw mewed, knowing that Brackenfur deserved an explanation if he was going to let them leave camp in the middle of the night. “I have to go and find the Moonpool.”

Brackenfur still looked uncertain. 

“It’s too dangerous for you to go off before daylight. We hardly know this territory yet.”

“Can’t you trust us?” Sorreltail pleaded. “Can’t you trust me? I’ll bring them home safe, I promise.”

She and Brackenfur exchanged a long look, and at last the ginger warrior nodded. 

“Okay, but be careful.”

“Don’t you think we can look after ourselves?” Sorreltail mewed, flicking Brackenfur lightly across the ears with her tail.

Brackenfur let out an amused purr. 

“Sorreltail, if any cat can look after herself, it’s you.”

Leafpaw took the lead, racing through the forest until she came to the stream that marked the boundary between ThunderClan and WindClan. It ran dark and secret, shadowed by bushes on overhanging banks.

Leafpaw bounded up the slope and stopped at the edge of the trees.

“Where next?” Sorreltail panted.

“Up,” Leafpaw replied.

They padded onward, following the boundary stream out of the woods and up the hill. 

As they followed the stream into the hills, Leafpaw decided to describe her dream. 

“I met Spottedleaf at the edge of the lake, and she told me that starlight on water would be the sign. Not in the lake, but in a stream. The next moment I was running uphill beside a stream, and the water was full of stars.”

“Did you know where you were?”

“I couldn’t see anything I recognized. There were no trees, and the air felt cold and clear, as if I were somewhere very high.”

“We’d better keep climbing, then,” Sorreltail meowed.

The stream slid quietly over its stony bed, the water dark and glimmering. As they went on it seemed to grow steadily louder, even when they reached the source of the boundary stream and left it far behind.

They came to a cleft in the hills, where the land dipped down as if sliced by a giant claw. The valley was lined with gorse and bracken, and it grew steeper and narrower as they went on, the ground littered with broken rocks. Leafpaw reached the end of the valley first, where it led to a sheer, rocky slope. She stopped to wait for Sorreltail, whose tail was beginning to droop with weariness, though she still padded on determinedly, and Alderpaw who was looking around, reconition in his eyes. 

“Come on!” Leafpaw cried. “We’re almost there!”

She launched herself upward, scrabbling and slipping on the damp rock. The peak above her was outlined by the first faint signs of dawn, but stars still shone in the indigo sky.

“Hurry—before the starshine fades!”

Leafpaw turned to run on, and froze. Then Leafpaw leaped up 

“We’re here!” Leafpaw breathed. “We’ve found it!”

“Follow me,” Spottedleaf urged.

Leafpaw beckoned Sorreltail and Alderpaw with her tail. 

“Quick! Spottedleaf ’s here!”

They joined Leafpaw in a couple of bounds and looked around. 

“Where?” Sorreltail asked.

“There!” Leafpaw gestured to the starlit shape standing a couple of tail-lengths away on the edge of the stream.

“I can’t see her,” Sorreltail meowed. She looked worriedly at Leafpaw. “Is that a problem?”

Leafpaw gently drew her tail over Sorreltail’s eyes. 

“No, of course not. She can see that you are here, and that’s all that matters. Trust me, she is with us.” Alderpaw gazed curiously at Spottedleaf. He had heard about her, and how she had sacrificed herself to save Sandstorm from Mapleshade’s claws.

Spottedleaf turned away and began to follow the stream upward. Leafpaw scrambled eagerly after her. Alderpaw took a few pawsteps forward, then gave a questioning looked to Sorreltail.

“Go on,” she meowed. “I’ll stay here.”

The ground sloped more steeply than before, and the starlit stream vanished among a barrier of thornbushes. Alderpaw caught up to Leafpaw as the brown tabby stopped and put her head to one side as she studied the bushes. Then she spotted a tiny gap and ducked between the prickly stems; there was just enough room to squeeze through without losing half their fur, though the thorns still tugged at their pelt. 

A heartbeat later the two cats emerged on the edge of a steepsided hollow. The ground fell sharply away on the other side of the thornbushes, and Alderpaw swayed for a moment as he struggled to keep his balance. It was much smaller than the hollow where ThunderClan had made their camp, clear of gorse and bramble and with sides that sloped more gently, lined with moss-covered rocks. Only on the far side did the ground rise into a sheer cliff, shaggy with moss and fern. Water bubbled out from a cleft about halfway up and splashed into a pool in the center of the hollow. The surface of the pool danced and glittered with reflected starlight. It was the most beautiful place Alderpaw had ever seen, and he was glad to see it once more.

Spottedleaf was standing at the edge of the water. 

“Come,” she meowed, beckoning with her tail.

Just beside Leafpaw’s paws a narrow path curved around the side of the hollow, spiraling steadily down until it reached the pool below. They stepped carefully down the path. The rock was dimpled with ancient pawprints, too many to count, and with each step he felt his paws slip into the marks left by cats many, many moons before. They were long gone, but Alderpaw’s fur tingled as he remembered what Thunderstar had told him. Cats have been here before, and they were here once more. At last they stood beside Spottedleaf at the edge of the pool.

“Look at the water,” the ghostly cat murmured.

Puzzled, Leafpaw looked down, Alderpaw also looked at the water, curious, and felt the stone beneath his paws lurch. Instead of stars they saw the reflections of many, many cats, their moonlit pelts shimmering. Countless pairs of eyes gleamed expectantly at them, as if they had known they would come.

The two cats looked up, and all around them sat the shining warriors of StarClan, lining the hollow’s sloping sides. Their eyes glowed like tiny moons, and their fur was tipped with the glitter of frost.

“Don’t be afraid,” Spottedleaf murmured. “We have been waiting for you to find your way to us.”

Leafpaw wasn’t afraid. She was conscious of nothing but warmth and goodwill in the starry gazes fixed on her. Most of the warriors were unfamiliar to her, but in one of the front rows she saw Dappletail, the ThunderClan elder who had died from eating a rabbit poisoned by the Twolegs. The she-cat looked graceful and beautiful, not thin and desperate as she had been when Leafpaw last saw her. Her eyes glowed with welcome, and she nodded toward a small shape near the water’s edge, tumbling with some other kits as she chased a shaft of moonlight. As their play brought them close to her Leafpaw drank in their sweet kit scent. With a stab of joy, she recognized Hollykit, who had starved when Twolegs destroyed the forest. A half-grown cat reached out with a paw to nudge the starry kits away from the water’s edge: it was their brother Shrewpaw, the apprentice struck by a Twoleg monster as he tried to hunt for their Clan.

_ I must tell Ferncloud, _ thought Leafpaw, knowing how happy their mother would be to know that her two kits were safe in the ranks of StarClan.

Then she realized that one cat was missing. She ran her gaze quickly around the hollow to make sure. There was no sign of Graystripe. Leafpaw’s heart leaped. Did that mean that Firestar was right when he insisted that his friend was still alive? It must be, how else would Alderpaw and the others know him?

Across the pool, a blue-gray warrior rose to her paws. She reminded Leafpaw of some cat. . . . Of course, she’s the image of Mistyfoot! This must be Bluestar, Mistyfoot’s mother, and ThunderClan’s leader before Firestar.

“Welcome, Leafpaw,” Bluestar meowed. “We are delighted to welcome you here. This is where medicine cats must come to share tongues with StarClan, and where your leaders will receive their nine lives and their names.”

“It’s beautiful, Bluestar,” Leafpaw whispered. “Thank you for sending Spottedleaf to help me find it.”

“You must go back and tell all the Clans,” Bluestar contin- ued. “But first there is a friend who wants to speak to you.”

A beautiful silver-gray cat left the ranks of cats and padded around the pool toward Leafpaw. At the same time, Alderpaw was drawn away by a gray, old she-cat with amber eyes and the two began talking in hushed whispers.

“Feathertail!” Leafpaw meowed, amber eyes bright.

The radiant warrior came to a halt in front of her. She touched noses with her, a caress light as a breeze whispering against Leafpaw’s muzzle.

“I thought we left you with the Tribe of Endless Hunting,” Leafpaw meowed.

Feathertail shook her head. 

“I walk in two skies now, with the Tribe’s ancestors as well as my own. But wherever I am, I shall never forget the Clans.” She hesitated for a moment, then added, “Especially Crowfeather.”

“He misses you very much. He chose his warrior name for you.”

“Yes, I was watching,” Feathertail purred. “I was so proud. He will make a great warrior.” She bent close to Leafpaw again, her warm breath stirring the apprentice’s fur. “Tell him not to grieve. I will always love him, but there will be many, many moons before we meet again. For now, he must live with his Clanmates in their new home. He cannot be blind to the cats who are around him for all that time.”

“I’ll tell him,” Leafpaw promised.

Feathertail dipped her head and turned away, starlight dappling her silver pelt. The warriors began to fade until they were little more than a starry sheen around the slopes of the hollow, and then they were gone. Leafpaw caught one more breath of Spottedleaf ’s scent before that faded too.

She looked up and saw that the sky was growing brighter.

Sorreltail had come and stood at the top of the hollow, looking down at her and Alderpaw.

Leafpaw ran up the path to join her. 

“Did you see them?” she asked excitedly.

Sorreltail tipped her head on one side. 

“See who?”

“StarClan! They were here, all around the hollow! I spoke to Bluestar, and Feathertail!” Leafpaw trailed off when she saw that Sorreltail was looking bewildered, and a little wary.

“I saw a bright mist rising from the pool,” she mewed hesitantly.

“That must have been them,” Leafpaw told her. Alderpaw trotted up, ear pricked, eyes excited. She gazed around the hollow with the sound of tumbling starlit water filling her ears. 

“This is the place.”

“Are you sure?”

At that moment the rays of the moon caught the surface of the water, and a pure white light flooded the hollow.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Leafpaw mewed. “We no longer have the Moonstone—but we have the Moonpool. This is the place where StarClan will share tongues with us.” She turned to Sorreltail, feeling her fur glitter with starlight.

“We’ve found it! This is where the Clans are meant to be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leafpaw, Alderpaw, & Sorreltail: La da da da do~, la da da da de~ you can't stop us from skipping through the trees~!


	40. Jayfeather Discusses A Revolution With His Grandfather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 40/43, we're almost there! Things are going to get InTeReStInG......!

Jayfeather leaped across the stream by the stepping stones and began to climb the hill toward the WindClan camp, following after Leafpaw. Firestar had offered her an escort, and the gray tabby had offered to come with.

The wind ruffled the short moorland grass, bringing with it a strong scent of rabbits and flattening Jayfeather’s fur against his sides. They were nearly at the camp when the tom caught the scent of cats, and a patrol appeared from behind a gorse bush. By their scents, Jayfeather recognized it as Mudclaw and Webfoot with his apprentice, Weaselpaw.

Jayfeather felt Leafpaw tense. All the Clans were extra-sensitive about their boundaries at the moment, and she probably hoped the WindClan cats would give them a chance to explain her mission before chasing them out.

“What are you doing here?” Mudclaw growled. “This is our territory.”

“I have a message for Barkface.” Leafpaw meowed.

Mudclaw hesitated, then jerked his head. 

“Come on, then.” He led them over the top of the rise and down into the hollow.

Deadfoot was sitting under a bush near the center of the camp, sharing a tough-looking rabbit with Ashfoot. Onewhisker and Gorseheart were chatting quietly with each other, and glanced up, curious, at the approaching Thunderclan cats.

“Deadfoot, we have a visitor,” Mudclaw announced.

The WindClan leader stood up, swiping his tongue around his jaws. 

“What can we do for you, Jayfeather, Leafpaw?”

“I need to speak to Barkface,” she mewed.

Deadfoot pricked his ears. 

“A message from StarClan?” he guessed.

Leafpaw nodded

“That’s great news!” Deadfoot meowed. “Weaselpaw, go and ask Barkface to come right away.”

Webfoot’s apprentice disappeared down a tunnel at the foot of the slope. It looked as if it might once have been a rabbit burrow or a badger set. He reappeared a moment later with the medicine cat behind him.

Leafpaw bounded over to him while Jayfeather stayed where he was. Barkface dismissed the apprentice with a flick of his tail and beckoned Leafpaw to sit beside him. While the two had their conversation, Jayfeather struck up a chat with Deadfoot. 

“How has everything been doing in Windclan?” Deadfoot blinked.

“Everything is relatively quiet,” he meowed. His gaze darted around, and when he saw no one was near, he then said; “However, I have noticed that Mudclaw seems to be sneaking off at times. Gorseheart and Onewhisker have tried to follow him, but we always lose his scent near the Riverclan border.” Jayfeather froze, eyes gleaming in realization. Deadfoot noticed. “Do you know something about it?”

“I do,” the gray tom meowed quietly, ears pricked to make sure no one was close by. “When I was an apprentice, I remember being told about how originally, you died when Tigerclan attacked Windclan, and Mudclaw was made deputy. But when Tallstar died, he appointed Onewhisker as his successor at the last minute. Mudclaw was furious, and he plotted with some Riverclan and Shadowclan warriors to attack his own clan and kill Onewhisker before he had the chance to go to the Moonpool. An attack that happened a few nights  _ after _ Leafpaw delivered the message, I think.” Deadfoot’s eyes darted around.

“So I could either go right now and get my lives,” he mused. “Or I could stay and face this challenge head-on. If I go now, there may be a lingering feeling of disloyalty…” he trailed off, narrowed his eyes, then nodded. “It’s risky, but I’m going to stay until Mudclaw launches his attack, if he hasn’t in three days, then I will go. But if he does, then we will see who’s side Starclan is on.” Jayfeather dipped his head.

“Like you said, it’s risky, but it may be a good idea.” the tabby meowed.

“By the way,” Deadfoot meowed. “I’ve noticed Crowfeather hanging around the border lately...and staring over it. Would that have anything to do with a certain brown tabby?” Jayfeather’s whiskers twitched.

“No, well, nothing’s going on just yet. She gets her full name before they  _ do _ become mates.”

“Alright then.” Deadfoot meowed. He paused as Barkface padded over. Others, like Ashfoot and Tornear, had joined them, guessing there was an important announcement coming.

Quickly Barkface told them about Leafpaw’s journey.

“Tomorrow night all the medicine cats will meet at the Moonpool,” he meowed. “The night after that, Deadfoot, you and I will go together so that you can receive your nine lives and your leader’s name.”

“From what Leafpaw tells us, it’s a long journey,” Deadfoot mewed, shooting a quick look at Jayfeather. “You can’t travel there twice in two days; you’ll be worn out. I’ve waited this long for my nine lives and my name. I can wait awhile longer.”

Barkface seemed content to leave some time between his visits to the Moonpool, because he didn’t try to change Deadfoot’s mind. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow at sunset, Leafpaw,” he meowed. “You to Jayfeather.”

“I’ll tell Cinderpelt,” Leafpaw replied. “We can meet by the stream at the edge of the trees.”

Barkface nodded. 

“Go well,” he murmured, before heading back to his den.

Deadfoot and Ashfoot began talking quietly together. Mudclaw muttered something to Webfoot, and the pair of them raced for the top of the hollow, disappearing over it in a couple of heartbeats. Jayfeather narrowed his eyes, and Deadfoot’s gaze followed the two as well, supicion in his green eyes.

Leafpaw felt a light touch on her shoulder. She turned, and was startled to see Crowfeather gazing intensely into her eyes. 

“Have you really found a place to speak with StarClan?” he asked.

“Yes, really.” Leafpaw swallowed. “There’s something I have to tell you, Crowfeather. Is there somewhere quiet we can talk?” Jayfeather was still fixed on where Mudclaw and Webfoot dashed off to.

“Come over here.” Crowfeather led her to the edge of the hollow and sat down under a stunted tree with leafless, twisted branches. He looked expectantly at Leafpaw with his head to one side.

She took a deep breath. 

“I didn’t just dream of the Moonpool last night. I saw Feathertail as well.” That was one detail she had left out when she told her story to Barkface.

Crowfeather’s eyes opened wide. 

“Feathertail?”

“Yes. She gave me a message for you.” Leafpaw’s heart pounded so loud, she was convinced Crowfeather would be able to hear it. Would he be angry with what she had to say? After all, he might want to carry on grieving for Feathertail. Leafpaw told herself that wasn’t her problem; Feathertail might be watching them right now, and she had to keep her promise to deliver the message.

“She said, ‘Tell him not to grieve.’ It will be many moons before you can be together again. She told you not to be blinded to the living.”

Crowfeather met Leafpaw’s gaze with such a hungry look, it was as if he wanted to devour every scrap of her meeting with the cat he had loved so deeply. Leafpaw blinked. How could he ever stop grieving if he felt this strongly?

At last the WindClan warrior looked down at his paws.

“I’ll never stop wishing she hadn’t died,” he whispered. “Does Feathertail think I could ever forget about her?”

“That isn’t what she meant!” Leafpaw protested.

“There’ll never be another cat like Feathertail.” Crowfeather whipped up his head, and there was a gleam of anger in his eyes. “I don’t care how long I have to wait to see her again. If she can wait, so can I!”

He spun around and bounded across the clearing, with Leafpaw staring helplessly after him.

The half-moon floated high above them, shedding soft gray light over the slope beside the rushing stream. The seven medicine cats toiled up the last few tail-lengths that led to the barrier of thornbushes. Cinderpelt looked exhausted, her eyes glazed and her pace increasingly uneven, but she seemed determined to keep going. Mothwing hardly seemed tired by the journey at all. Right from the start she had bounded ahead and doubled back to check which way to go next, as if she couldn’t wait to reach the place where she would share tongues with StarClan. Jayfeather snorted at that. Leafpaw showed them the narrow gap that led through the barrier of thorns, and at last they stood at the top of the hollow, gazing down at the Moonpool. The water shone with the same pale light she remembered from before, while the stream tumbling from the crack in the rock glittered with starshine. Its gentle plashing into the pool was the only sound.

“Yes, this is the place,” Barkface murmured.

He gestured with his tail for Leafpaw to lead the way down the path, and once again Jayfeather felt the familiar feeling of his paws slipping into the pawprints made by those cats of long ago.  _ Jay’s Wing… _ a voice whispered.  _ Half Moon. _

“I wonder how we’re supposed to share tongues with StarClan?” Littlecloud asked, when all the medicine cats were sitting around the Moonpool.

“Touch the water.” Jayfeather said.

The medicine cats glanced at one another. 

“It’s worth a try,” Barkface agreed.

Jayfeather crept forward and lapped a few drops of water. It was icy cold, and tasted of stars and the wind and the indigo sky. He closed her eyes, breathing the scents as they flooded his mouth.

A chill spread from his ears to the tip of his tail, and he could no longer feel the stone beneath his paws. Instead he was floating in a black void, where everything was dark and silent. There were voices, too faint and shrill at first to hear what they were saying. Then the sound of wind and splashing water died away.

He opened his eyes. A vast stretch of water lay in front of

her: not the Moonpool, tucked in its sheltering hollow, but

the lake. Jayfeather stood in the forest, and stepped forward before pausing as he spotted Leafpaw. She was staring at the lake’s surface, stirred by the wind into rippling waves, tipped with curls of froth. The water looked as if it reflected a blazing sunset, with all shades of red lapping thickly at the shore. Jayfetaher frowned, then looked up. 

The sky was dark and starlit.

That wasn’t the sun’s reflection.

The lake was filled with blood!

The voices called out again, this time loud enough for him to hear, even though he wished he hadn’t almost before they had finished speaking:

_ Before there is peace, blood will spill blood, and the lake will run red. _

Jayfeather saw Leafpaw spring up to run away, but her paws slipped in the sticky blood, and the stench of death reached even up to him. With a hacking cough, he opened his eyes. He was on the edge of the Moonpool again, his belly pressed flat against the cold stone, and beside him lay the other medicine cats, Alderpaw the closest. Jayfeather was relieved his apprentice didn’t look disturbed, he didn’t want him to experience the horrifying dream he and Leafpaw had shared. The others were stirring and stretching, waking from their own dreams. The moon was dipping below the hilltop; Jayfeather’s legs, stiff from crouching so long in one position, confirmed how much time had passed.

Barkface and Littlecloud both looked very troubled; Cinderpelt was studying Leafpaw with concern in her eyes, while Mothwing kept her gaze fixed on her paws. Alderpaw didn’t seem to be troubled, curious actually, and Jayfeather sensed that curiosity to come from...Thunderstar. Of course.

Cinderpelt sat down again on the edge of the Moonpool.

“Before we go back to our Clans,” she began, “I have one more task to do.” She waited until the other cats were sitting too, their faces turned attentively to her.

“Clan warriors receive their warrior name when their mentor thinks they are ready,” Cinderpelt continued. “It is the same for medicine cats.” With a glint in her eyes she turned to Leafpaw and asked, “Did you think you would have to wait for me to die before you received your name?”

Leafpaw was so taken aback she didn’t reply. 

“A medicine cat receives her name when StarClan decides she deserves it,” Cinderpelt meowed. “Leafpaw, the fact that our warrior ancestors brought you to the Moonpool first shows how highly they regard you.”  _ Maybe that’s one of the reasons why Leafpaw was chosen to have me and my littermates. _ Jayfeather thought.

“That’s true,” Barkface rumbled.

Littlecloud let out a purr of agreement; Mothwing’s eyes were brilliant and she leaped up to press her muzzle against Leafpaw’s side. 

“Come forward.” Cinderpelt beckoned to Leafpaw with her tail. Leafpaw nearly stumbled over to her mentor.

Cinderpelt tipped back her head and gazed at Silverpelt.

“I, Cinderpelt, medicine cat of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the way of a medicine cat, and with your help she will serve her Clan for many moons.”

The words were familiar to Jayfeather from his own ceremony. His whiskers twitched as he remembered how terrified he’d been that he would be named ‘Jaywing’.

“Leafpaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan, and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?”

“I do.”

“Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your true name as a medicine cat. Leafpaw, from this moment you will be known as Leafpool. StarClan honors your courage and your faith. By finding this place, you have proved this is truly our new home.”

Just as a Clan leader would do at a warrior ceremony, Cinderpelt rested her muzzle on Leafpool’s head, and the brown tabby bent to lick her mentor’s shoulder.

“Leafpool! Leafpool!” Mothwing called, and Barkface and Littlecloud joined in, followed by Jayfeather and Alderpaw.

Leafpool bowed her head. 

“Thank you—all of you. My paws were guided by StarClan in everything I have done, and I hope they will continue to guide me for the rest of my life.”

“May StarClan grant that it is so,” murmured Barkface, and the others echoed his prayer.

All except Mothwing, but when Jayfeather looked at her, the RiverClan cat’s face was filled with such pride and affection that he knew Mothwing was as pleased for Leafpool as any cat. It didn’t matter a whisker that she didn’t share their beliefs.

As she followed the other cats out of the hollow and down

the rocky slope, Jayfeather thought on his own apprentice’s ceremony. Alderpaw was at the correct age, but they would most likely be reverted back to the age they were at when they first came to the future. Still... _ Alderleaf...Alderspeck...no, how about...Alderheart. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *In the War Room*
> 
> Jayfeather: K, so, Mudclaw is going to try to pull a 'pro-gamer' move on ya, but don't worry, we've got you covered.
> 
> Deadfoot: Like my insurance?
> 
> Jayfeather, along with Alderpaw: LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR, THE FUTURES ARE THERE!


	41. Frogspeck Sneaks Over & Needlepaw Crashes In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THINGS ARE GOING DOWN NOW!

Sparkpaw halted at the edge of the lake and gazed across the stream into ShadowClan’s territory. The pine forest on the far side of the stream was a blue-black shadow against the heavy gray sky. No cats were in sight, but the damp wind brought a powerful reek toward her: the old, familiar ShadowClan scent, nearly as strong as it had ever been.

It was one more sign that all the cats were settling into their new territories. An even more powerful sign was the discovery of the Moonpool. Early that morning Cinderpelt and the newly named Leafpool had returned from the medicine cats’ first meeting with StarClan, and in two nights’ time Deadfoot would receive the nine lives of a leader at last.

“Yuck!” exclaimed Rainwhisker. “I’ll never get used to the way ShadowClan smells. It’s like a fox that’s been dead for a moon.”

“I don’t suppose they’re too keen on our scent, either,” Brambleclaw pointed out.

A splash and a startled yowl behind him interrupted her. She glanced around to see Spiderleg standing in the lake with water lapping halfway up his legs.

“Great StarClan, what are you doing?” Brambleclaw meowed.

Spiderleg waded back to the shore, hanging his head in embarrassment. 

“I saw a fish,” he explained, and added unnecessarily, “It got away.”

Brambleclaw sighed. 

“You don’t catch fish like that. Remind me sometime to give you a lesson. Feathertail taught us when we were on our journey. Come on; we’d better finish patrolling this border.”

He turned to head upstream, and stopped. Sparkpaw caught sight of something moving on the ShadowClan side. A gray cat had emerged from the trees and was racing along the lakeshore toward them, a black figure just behind it. Sparkpaw’s eyes widened in surprise when she recognized Mistyfoot and Frogspeck. What was a RiverClan cat doing in ShadowClan territory?

“Brambleclaw, wait!” she yowled. She and Frogspeck splashed through the stream as if it weren’t there and skidded to a halt in front of her father, panting. “We’ve got to talk to Firestar right away.”

Spiderleg stepped forward, his neck fur bristling. 

“What are you doing on our territory?”

“Yeah, let’s chase them off,” Rainwhisker growled.

Brambleclaw flicked his tail irritably at the two younger warriors. 

“We’re not chasing them anywhere. This is Mistyfoot—remember? She’s been a good friend to ThunderClan.” He turned to Forgspeck. “I don’t really know you that well, but Shadecloud speaks highly of you, and she’s a great judge of character.” Frogspeck nodded his head, flicking his ears as if he was slightly embarrassed. Sparkpaw gazed curiously at him. In her time, she didn’t have a clue about Mothwing and Hawkfrost’s older brother, but ever since she came back in time, she had grown curious about the black tom. Why hadn’t he been around in her time? Had he….died? But when? No one in her time had spoken of him, and surely her father would have known...had Frogspeck died before his siblings came to the clan?

“Thanks, Brambleclaw.” Mistyfoot dipped her head, though there was still a wild look in her eyes, as if she’d seen something that terrified her. “Please take us to Firestar.”

“It’s important.” Frogspeck added, casting a furtive glance over his shoulder.

“Okay. You two carry on with the patrol,” he told the others. “Watch out for Twolegs, and when you get as far as the dead tree, make sure the ShadowClan scent marks are where they’re supposed to be. Sparkpaw, you can come with me.”

Rainwhisker and Spiderleg exchanged a glance, as if they weren’t sure they wanted to leave Brambleclaw and Sparkpaw with Mistyfoot and Frogspeck, but neither of them said anything. They set off upstream; Rainwhisker kept looking back as if he expected the Riverclan cats to attack his clanmates as soon as his back was turned.

“Okay, dad.” Sparkpaw meowed in response to Brambleclaw’s order. She always enjoyed seeing the ‘caught-off-guard’ look her father got whenever she or Alderpaw called him ‘dad’. Frogspeck stared from the orange tabby to Brambleclaw.

“It’s a long story.” Brambleclaw meowed. “Let’s go.” as he led the Riverclan cats to camp by the quickest route, he then asked; “What’s the problem?”

“You’ll hear soon enough,” Mistyfoot meowed grimly. “Brambleclaw, can we hurry?”

Startled, Brambleclaw sped up until the four cats were hurtling through the trees, Sparkpaw running alongside Frogspeck, and not one of them slowed their pace until they reached the tunnel that led into the camp. Brambleclaw

pushed his way through first, followed by Mistyfoot, then Sparkpaw and Frogspeck. Firestar was sharing a thrush with Sandstorm near the fresh-kill pile. Beckoning Mistyfoot to stay close to him, Brambleclaw padded over. Frogspeck hurried after them with Sparkpaw at his heels.

Firestar swallowed a bite of fresh-kill and stood up.

“Mistyfoot, Frogspeck, welcome,” he greeted the RiverClan warriors. “What brings you here?”

“Nothing good,” Mistyfoot replied.

Firestar’s ears twitched, and Sandstorm looked up curiously.

“I’m afraid there’s trouble for all the Clans,” Mistyfoot went on.

“Wait a moment,” Firestar interrupted. “We’d better let Dustpelt and Brackenfur hear this too. Brambleclaw, can you find them?”

Brambleclaw raced to the warriors’ den.

“Should I get Jayfeather?” Sparkpaw asked. “Everyone else is out of camp.”

“Go get him.” Sparkpaw darted off at top speed to the medicine den.

“Jayfeather!” she gasped as she hurtled through the entrance. “Firestar wants you!”

“I’m coming! I’m coming!” the gray tom emerged and followed Sparkpaw back to Firestar, who was now joined by Brackenfur and Dustpelt.

“Now,” Firestar meowed, waving his tail at Mistyfoot. “Tell us what’s wrong.”

She had recovered some of her composure, but her eyes were still anxious. 

“Frogspeck should tell you, he’s the one who saw it.” Firestar nodded to Frogspeck, who took a deep breath and began;

“Three nights ago I was on my way back to camp when I spotted two cats on the shore of the lake opposite the island,”as he spoke, Shadecloud emerged from the nursery, Ferncloud at her side. “It was raining heavily, so I couldn’t think why they wanted to hang about where there was no shelter. I was going to ask them back to camp when I realized who they were.” He paused, digging his claws into the ground.

“Well?” Firestar prompted.

“One of them was Hawkfrost,” Frogspeck replied, voice dull. He swallowed painfully, as if a tough bit of fresh-kill were lodged in his throat. “And the other was Mudclaw.”

“What?” exclaimed Dustpelt.

Sparkpaw’s belly lurched.

“Before I reached them, Mudclaw raced back toward his own territory,” Frogspeck continued. “But Hawkfrost hadn’t chased him off. They’d been talking together, and I got the impression they knew each other quite well. I’ve suspected before this that Hawkfrost has been sneaking out of camp at night. We used to when we were apprentices. I never asked Hawkfrost to explain himself. Now I know I made a mistake. It must have been Mudclaw he was meeting.”

“Hawkfrost went back to camp—and I let him go,” Frogspeck went on. “He didn’t know I’d spotted him, and I thought I’d try to find out what was going on before I confronted him.”

“What did you do next?” Sandstorm asked.

“I couldn’t believe they’d meet on the lakeshore, where any cat could spot them. I remembered how keen on the island Hawkfrost was when we first came here, so I swam out to see if they’d been meeting there. Sure enough, I found their scent . . . some fresh, and some stale. I guess they’ve been there three or four times at least.”

“Mudclaw swam over to the island?” Dustpelt sounded incredulous. “More than once? I’m surprised he even wanted to get his paws wet. None of the WindClan cats likes to swim.”

“Then you tell me how his scent got over there,” Mistyfoot retorted, speaking up.

“What did Leopardstar say when you told her all this?” asked Firestar.

Frogspeck looked uncomfortable. “I didn’t tell her,” she admitted. “I told Stonefur, but we didn’t tell Leopardstar because, well, Hawkfrost  _ is _ a good warrior, and he’s popular, especially with the younger cats. It’s no secret that some of them think he should have stayed deputy when Stonefur escaped from the Twolegs. 

“We thought that if we told Leopardstar, she’d think we were trying to make trouble because Stonefur felt he was a threat to him.” Mistyfoot meowed. 

“Besides, I didn’t see him do anything wrong, apart from speak to a cat from another Clan. Stonefur, Mistyfoot, and I decided to keep an eye on him until I could work out why he and Mudclaw were meeting.”

“And now you have?” Brackenfur guessed.

Firestar narrowed his eyes. 

“Yes, you didn’t come here because of something you saw three nights ago. What’s happened?”

“This morning Hawkfrost offered to lead the dawn patrol,” Mistyfoot replied. “The three cats he chose to go with him are the ones who yowl loudest about what a good deputy he would make. None of them has come back yet.”

Sparkpaw glanced up at the sky; the sun was hidden behind rain-laden clouds, but she guessed that sunset could not be far off. Either the dawn patrol had gotten severely lost—or they hadn’t been planning to return when the patrol was finished.

“Maybe they just found a good place to hunt,” Firestar suggested.

“And you can’t blame him for choosing his friends to go with him on a patrol,” Sandstorm added fairly.

“Well…” Frogspeck meowed. “When they hadn’t come back by sunhigh, I tried to track them. I mean, it was obvious they hadn’t set out to do a regular dawn patrol.”

“Did they go to the island?” mewed Dustpelt.

“I thought they might have, but when I picked up the scent trail outside our camp, it led into ShadowClan territory.”

Sparkpaw felt every hair on her pelt begin to rise. 

“I knew ThunderClan wouldn’t be involved, so I grabbed Mistyfoot and came straight here,” Frogspeck added. “A ShadowClan patrol nearly spotted us, but we made it to the border without being caught. Firestar, as much has I hate to admit it, but I’m convinced that Hawkfrost is involved in a plot to attack WindClan!” Sparkpaw and Jayfeather shot each other looks.  _ This is it. _ The orange tabby thought. Jayfeather nodded, confirming it.

Firestar’s green eyes were thoughtful. 

“There could be other explanations. . . .”

“Name one!” Mistyfoot snapped. “Every cat knows that Mudclaw wants to succeed Tallstar, and not Deadfoot. Do you really think he wouldn’t do anything about it?”

“Wait!” Brackenfur leaped to his paws. “Now that Leafpool has found the Moonpool, Deadfoot will soon receive his nine lives from StarClan. Mudclaw has to attack before then, if he wants to take over the Clan.”

“That means he’ll strike tonight,” Brambleclaw mewed hoarsely.

“Firestar, you have to do something!” Frogspeck urged.

Firestar’s claws scraped the earth. 

“Why me? Why not go to your own leader?”

“Leopardstar would just suspect me of trying to make

trouble for Hawkfrost, since Stonefur is my brother.” Mistyfoot meowed. “She might have believed Frogspeck, but lots of warriors don’t like how friendly he is with the other clans.” Frogspeck flicked his ears, amber eyes darted briefly to Shadecloud. “And she would never do anything to help WindClan. But Deadfoot and you are friendly...”

“He’s still a Clan leader, and responsible for the safety of his own Clan. He doesn’t expect ThunderClan to come to the rescue every time there’s trouble.” Firestar stared down at his feet as his claws sank into the ground. Then he looked up.

“But you’re right. We can’t just sit by and do nothing. We’ll send a patrol to the WindClan camp to see what’s going on. And I’d better call a meeting to warn the rest of the Clan.”

Springing up, he raced across the hollow and up the tumble of broken rock to the Highledge. 

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join for a Clan meeting,” he yowled.

Cloudtail, Brightheart, and Sorreltail emerged from the warriors’ den. The elders joined them after a moment, Goldenflower leading Longtail. Cinderpelt appeared from the entrance tunnel with Leafpool just behind her; the young tabby was looking wide-eyed with alarm.

Squirrelflight, Ashfur, and Thornclaw paused as they entered the camp with fresh-kill, then dropped their prey on the pile and raced across to join the others.

“Cats of ThunderClan,” Firestar began. “Mistyfoot and Frogspeck have brought news that suggests Mudclaw and Hawkfrost are planning to attack WindClan. I’m going to take a patrol over to the WindClan camp, but I want every cat alert in case they come here. It’s likely that ShadowClan is involved as well.”

Shocked murmurs rose from the listening cats.

“Cloudtail, you and Brightheart are in charge of the camp,” Firestar went on. “Thornclaw, take two cats and keep watch on the ShadowClan border. If you spot any of their warriors, track them, but don’t attack if you’re badly outnumbered.”

Thornclaw nodded and beckoned to Squirrelflight and Ashfur. Firestar prepared to leap down from the ledge, but before he could move, Cinderpelt stepped forward.

“Firestar, there’s something you ought to know. Leafpool told me about a dream she had. It might have something to do with this.”

“Okay.” Firestar motioned his daughter forward. “Tell us, Leafpool.”

“I saw the lake turn red, and heard a voice,” the young she-cat explained. “It said, ‘Before there is peace, blood will spill blood, and the lake will run red.’”

“That’s all?” Firestar prompted. “Nothing to tell you whose blood, or when?”

Leafpool shook her head.

“It’s enough to suggest big trouble is coming,” Cinderpelt meowed. “I’d take this attack seriously if I were you. It’s Mudclaw’s last chance to seize control of WindClan, while Deadfoot still has only one life.”

“Stop right there!” Sparkpaw jumped as Rainwhisker’s yowl echoed through the camp. A silver blur tumbled into camp and nearly crashed straight into her.

“Needlepaw!” she yelped. “What are you doing here?” Rainwhisker and Sootfur had charged into camp after the Shadowclan she-cat. Needlepaw was gasping.

“Just thought I should tell you…” she meowed breathlessly. “That, like, three, four? Maybe five Shadowclan cats have left our territory with Hawkfrost. They’re heading for Windclan.”

“Right.” Firestar jumped down at this news. “Let’s go. We’ve got only so much time.” As the Thunderclan cats gathered around, Sparkpaw nudged Needlepaw to the medicine den.

“Don’t think I didn’t notice you limping.” Sparkpaw meowed. “You need rest, and treatment. Alderpaw will be back soon. And I’ve gotta go.”

“You mean,  _ got to _ go.” Needlepaw giggled. At Sparkpaw’s confused look she added; “Inside joke.”

Sparkpaw dashed out into the clearing to witness Ferncloud urging Shadecloud into the nursery. She paused, listening.

“You can’t go out into battle!” the gray speckled queen meowed. “You’re going to have kits! You need to stay here.”  _ Shadecloud is going to have kits? _ Sparkpaw thought. 

“I can still go out and fight!” Shadecloud snapped. “I’ll be fine!” Frogspeck slid over.

“If it makes you feel better, I’ll stay by her.” Ferncloud paused, considering his offer, then slowly nodded.

“Make sure she doesn’t get hurt.”

“I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Frogspeck: Houston, we've got a problem.
> 
> Mistyfoot: A big one.
> 
> Needlepaw, over her mic, screaming: SILVER APPRENTICE SPEAKING, IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE, ALL SYSTEMS GO!
> 
> Sparkpaw, over her mic: ORANGE APPRENTICE HERE, RECEIVED AND VERIFIED! NOW GO WAIT FOR RED APPRENTICE!


	42. It’s Goin’ Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'VE GOT THE LAST CHAPTERS WRITTEN! NEED TO POST!

Night was falling as the ThunderClan cats crossed the stream and entered WindClan territory. Out of the shelter of the trees, a stiff wind was blowing with an icy sting of rain. Now and then the moon or a star shone fitfully between rags of cloud, but for most of the time thick darkness covered the moor. The cats had to find their way by scent alone, barely able to see their own paws.

“There’s no sign of a border patrol,” Dustpelt whispered, sniffing.

“That could mean they’re defending the camp,” Mistyfoot replied.

“Shh!” Firestar’s low hiss came out of the darkness. “Stay alert. We don’t know what we’re getting into.”

Soon they reached the stream that flowed down from the WindClan camp. Firestar followed it for a while, then halted to taste the air. Dovewing did the same; a strong scent of WindClan cats came from up ahead, but none of the other Clan scents. There was no sound of fighting cats, just the buffeting of the wind and the gurgling stream. 

“Nothing,” Firestar murmured when the silence had stretched out for many heartbeats.

“We could go and ask Deadfoot if everything’s okay,” Brackenfur suggested.

“What? Stroll into his camp and tell him we came to fight off his enemies?” Dustpelt meowed. “I don’t think so.”

Sandstorm murmured agreement, and after a moment’s thought Firestar echoed it. 

“You’re right. The best thing we can do is go home.”

“But something’s wrong; I’m sure of it,” Mistyfoot protested. Her eyes gleamed with anxiety. 

“What about Leafpool’s dream?” Frogspeck meowed from Shadecloud’s side.

“We’ve no idea what Leafpool’s dream means,” Firestar pointed out. “Meanwhile, we’re here in fighting strength on another Clan’s territory. Deadfoot would be well within his rights if he ripped our fur off.”

Dustpelt snorted. 

“I’d like to see him try.”

The wind was rising, and a sudden gust almost carried Dovewing off her paws. In the distance she heard a faint rumble of thunder. 

“Let’s get back before the storm breaks,” Firestar mewed.

All the cats turned to follow him. Then Dovewing froze, ears pricked. Her eyes were wide, and she closed them to follow the sound of pawsteps on the moor. Almost to the top of a rise were Hawkfrost and Mudclaw.

“Wait!” she called. “They’re here! Mudclaw and Hawkfrost. I hear them!”

Gazing up the hill, Thunderclan turned and saw several dark shapes flow over the rise from the opposite direction and launch themselves down into the hollow. For a heartbeat Dovewing thought she recognized the outline of Hawkfrost’s broad head and powerful shoulders at the head of the cats.

A single screech split the night. Firestar whipped around and raced back up the hill. 

“Come on!”

Brambleclaw was shoulder-to-shoulder with Firestar as they reached the edge of the hollow. More screeches split the night; in the darkness, Shadecloud could make out nothing more than a caterwauling tangle of fur. She could scent RiverClan and ShadowClan as well as WindClan, but she couldn’t recognize individuals or work out which cats she should be attacking.

The gray she-cat heard Firestar yowl, “Mudclaw!” as her leader/brother hurtled down the slope into the camp. The rest of the ThunderClan patrol raced after him. A moment later Shadecloud lost sight of her Clanmates as she plunged into the struggling mass. Before she had a chance to get her breath, a cat crashed into her side, knocking her off her paws. She twisted around and found herself glaring up into the eyes of Cedarheart from ShadowClan.

“Stay out of this!” spat the dark gray tom. “This is not ThunderClan’s fight!”

Not bothering to reply, Shadecloud kicked out hard with her hindlegs and jabbed her feet into Cedarheart’s belly. The

ShadowClan warrior staggered backward and nearly crashed into Frogspeck as the black tom streaked over to her, pouncing on the Shadowclan warrior, and yowled;

“Show a little respect for a queen with kits won’t you?!” Cedarheart’s eyes widened and he vanished, leaving Shadecloud and Frogspeck side by side, breathing heavily, and looking around for their next opponet. 

“You okay?” Frogspeck asked, concern in his amber gaze. Shadecloud pressed against him.

“I’m fine, it’ll take more than a Shadowclan warrior to keep me down!”

“I know.” the two leapt back into the fight, claws out and flashing in the moonlight.

Creekflower was buffeted from side to side as cats slammed into her in screeching knots of fur and claws. There was no sign of Hawkfrost, though she spotted another RiverClan warrior hurling himself across the hollow and leaping into a clump of gorse with his claws outstretched. The throng of cats shifted, and Creekflower had a clear view of Webfoot and Deadfoot struggling together, Deadfoot’s teeth sunk deep in Webfoot’s shoulder while the tabby tom clawed lumps of fur from his leader’s side. The Windclan leader’s eyes were filled with fury, and was showing no mercy.

Creekflower leaped forward to help Deadfoot, but at the same moment Mudclaw erupted from the shadows. Deadfoot vanished under a whirl of teeth and claws, but a heartbeat later Firestar appeared, grabbed Mudclaw’s scruff in his teeth, and hauled him off.

Mudclaw shook himself free. 

“Do you think this is your Clan?” he snarled at Firestar. “Think again, kittypet! WindClan will have a new leader now, a strong cat who can make the Clan great again.”

“Deadfoot is WindClan’s leader,” Firestar spat back.

Mudclaw threw himself at the ThunderClan leader. As the two cats went down, Webfoot dashed in from the side and fastened his teeth in Firestar’s leg. Creekflower screeched in fury and threw herself at the toms who were attacking her brother. Creekflower, out of the corner of her eye, spotted Brambleclaw struggling against a black Riverclan tom, but Icefoot jumped from the darkness and threw the tom off the younger warrior. Meanwhile, Creekflower had engaged Webfoot while Firestar and Mudclaw were locked in a whirling battle of teeth and claws. The brown tabby she-cat flashed out her paws and caught Webfoot on the nose, making him shrieak and pause to shake his head. Taking the chance, Creekflower swiped with one paw -  _ hard _ \- and smacked Webfoot on the side of his head, bowled him over, dug her claws in until he screamed for mercy, and sent him running. Creekflower, breathly heavily, quickly whirled around to look for her brother, and stiffed as Mudclaw got a luckly hit in, and manage to pin Firestar. She crouched to spring, but suddenly she heard a distant yowling and recognized Squirrelflight’s voice. A gleam of moonlight showed her racing over the top of the hollow with Thornclaw and Ashfur beside her. The two toms vered off to join the fight, but Squirrelflight made a bee-line for her father, hurtling past Brambleclaw and Icefoot fighting side by side and flung herself at Mudclaw with a screech of fury. Mudclaw turned to attack the dark red warrior. Squirrelflight reared up on her hindlegs, claws slashing; Mudclaw tried to plunge his teeth into her throat. Creekflower flew over to check on Firestar, Brambleclaw and Icefoot at her heels; relief flooded over her as her brother pulled himself to his paws, gave himslef a shake, and leaped back into the battle. One flank dripped with blood, but the injury didn’t seem to slow Firestar down. 

Lionblaze plowed through the battlefield, sending his opponet running and froze as he spotted a dark tabby pelt. Long claws. Ice blue eyes. He growled. Then, the golden tom pounced. Hawkfrost spun to met him, and the two toms were locked together, rolling around on the ground, Lionblaze’s eyes filled to the brim with fury and hate. Hawkfrost hissed and shot a blow to Lionblaze’s head, but the golden tom just shook it off and lundged for the tabby. However, before he could land a hit on him, someone else slammed into him. Lionblaze flattened his ears, and with one swipe sent the tom who attacked him running. He spun around, looking for Hawkfrost, but the brown tabby was nwhere to be seen.

Cinderheart and Dovewing traded blows with a Shadowclan she-cat, nipping her on the leg, batting at her ears, even grabbing her tail in their mouths and giving it a tug. Cinderheart’s blue eyes narrowed as she spotted Nightcloud running away from Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight.

“Think you can handle her?” she called to Dovewing. The gray she-cat nodded. “Good, I’ve got someone to catch.” She took off after Nightcloud, and screeched as she jumped and pounced on the black she-cat.  _ She had/has no right to treat Lionblaze, Hoolyleaf, and Jayfeather the way she did! _ Cinderheart thought furiously as she bit Nightcloud’s shoulder. Cinderheart was mates with Lionblaze, best friends with Hollyleaf, and heck, she had even managed to befriend Jayfeather, who was notoriusly not easy to get along with. She took personal offence of their treatment by Nightcloud. The two she-cat rolled on the ground, Cinderheart still with her teeth in the black she-cat’s shoulder, and didn’t let go until her opponet begged for it. Cinderheart let go and croched, hissing as Nightcloud scammbled up and fled once more.

Breathing hard, Brambleclaw looked around. He had reached the other side of the hollow, Shadecloud and Frogspeck close by. Ahead of him the cats parted to reveal a huge tabby tom with powerful shoulders padding toward him. Brambleclaw looked up, eye to eye with his brother. Hawkfrost’s expression was unreadable; his ice-blue eyes glittered with moonlight.

Then a gray warrior dashed in from the side, sending Brambleclaw crashing to the ground. He let out a screech and struck out with his claws. Pain stabbed him as teeth met in his shoulder, but he shook the other cat off and staggered up again. He caught a brief glimpse of Hawkfrost raking his claws across a WindClan warrior’s flank; then more cats thrust between them and his half brother was gone.

Frogspeck and Shadecloud appeared beside Brambleclaw. Together they thrust the invaders back pawstep by pawstep. Brambleclaw realized that the battle had turned, and they were forcing the attackers up the slope at the far side of the camp. He had almost reached the top when a flash of lightning bathed the moor in eerie yellow light. It showed him Mudclaw and Hawkfrost facing each other on the crest of the hill, outlined against the sky. A heartbeat later thunder crashed out overhead, rolling and echoing around the hill as if it would never stop. Rain hissed across the hillside; within moments Brambleclaw’s fur was soaked and plastered to his body.

As if the breaking storm were a signal, Mudclaw let out a yowl and fled, with Hawkfrost hard on his paws. Two ShadowClan warriors broke in the opposite direction, heading toward the ThunderClan camp. Crowfeather raced up to Brambleclaw, his eyes questioning, as if he were waiting for an order.

“Go after them!” Brambleclaw gasped, jerking his head toward the fleeing ShadowClan warriors. Instinctively used to obeying him, Crowfeather took off into the darkness. Another flash of black fur flew past Brambleclaw, and in that split second he reconized Icefoot speeding after Crowfeather. Dustpelt and Copperleaf had appeared, and Frogspeck whispered something to Shadecloud, who nodded. Frogspeck dashed over to Brambleclaw’s side and together they tore across the grass in pursuit of Mudclaw. The warrior had betrayed his Clan and tried to kill his leader. Brambleclaw vowed that no other cat but he would know the triumph of sinking his claws and teeth into Mudclaw’s throat. He and Frogspeck exchanged a look. Niether of them knew what to do if they encountered Hawkfrost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dovewing: THE RED COATS ARE COMING! THE RED COATS ARE COMING!
> 
> Shadecloud & Frogspeck: *Kick butt*
> 
> Creekflower, going to help Firestar: GET AWAY FROM MEH BRO!
> 
> Lionblaze, seeing Hawkfrost: REVEEEEEEENGE!
> 
> Cinderheart, seeing Nightcloud: REVEEEEEENGE!
> 
> Brambleclaw & Frogspeck, chasing Hawkfrost & Mudclaw: COME BACK HERE, YA TROUBLE-MAKERS!


	43. Crowfeather Saves His Girlfriend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Filler chapter, but one I like! :-}

When the rain started, Leafpool crept into a sheltered spot under the thorns at the top of the hollow. Far above her head, the branches of the trees thrashed together against the stormy sky, but down here everything was quiet, the only sound the patter of raindrops, broken by rolls of thunder coming from the hills.

Cloudtail had posted sentries around the hollow as soon as the other cats left with Firestar. Leafpool had volunteered to come up here and give an early warning if she heard invaders. All medicine cats were trained as warriors too, and she would use every fighting skill she possessed to defend her new home.

So far there had been nothing to disturb the forest apart from the breaking storm, but it felt as if the whole night were tense with waiting. She would have given anything to know what was happening at the WindClan camp. Were Hawkfrost and Mudclaw really plotting to overthrow Deadfoot?

Leafpool let her mind drift back to the discovery of the Moonpool, reliving the moment when she had first looked into it and seen her warrior ancestors reflected there. She felt how amazing it was to be a medicine cat, and didn’t know how she could bear to wait for the next half moon, when they would meet again. Her fur tingled with anticipation of the future serving her Clan that seemed to stretch in front of her like a stream filled with starlight.

Suddenly she realized that she could hear cats approaching rapidly through the trees. For a heartbeat she thought it was the ThunderClan patrol on its way back. Then a gust of ShadowClan scent was carried to her on the wind. She sprang up, jaws parted to yowl a warning to the Clan in the hollow below. But before she could utter a sound, two shapes broke out of the undergrowth and hurtled straight at her. Barging into her, they shoved her backward until she crashed into the bushes at the edge of the cliff. Scrabbling with her hindpaws, she felt the thorns give way under her weight.

“No!” she gasped.

Her warning was too late. Terrified yowls split the air as the two intruders crashed past her and fell all the way into the camp. Leafpool thrashed wildly with her claws and managed to clutch the edge of the rock. But she couldn’t get a grip with her hindpaws to thrust herself back to safety. There was a noise above her, and she looked up, terrified that she would see another ShadowClan warrior coming to finish her off.

Crowfeather gazed down at her, his eyes wide with horror.

“Crowfeather,” Leafpool hissed through gritted teeth, in case the movement sent her plummeting down after the two ShadowClan cats. “Crowfeather, help me!”

The WindClan warrior didn’t move. The rock where Leafpool clung was wet from the rain, and she felt her claws begin to slip. 

“Crowfeather!” she begged. “I’m going to fall!”

Crowfeather stood as if frozen. A hoarse whisper came from him, but his gaze was blank, and Leafpool realized that he wasn’t talking to her at all. 

“Feathertail, I’m so sorry! It was all my fault. I shouldn’t have let you fall.”

Leafpool realized he was remembering the cave in the mountains where Feathertail had died. 

“It wasn’t your fault,” she mewed. “Help me, Crowfeather, please.” She felt her claws slip again and tried to dig them in deeper, but there was nothing to grip on the slick surface of the rock.

Slowly Crowfeather took a pace forward and leaned over. Leafpool gasped as she felt her claws give way, but in the same heartbeat his teeth met in her scruff. For a moment they both teetered on the edge of the cliff, and she felt his weight slide toward her. Then Crowfeather heaved backward, his hindpaws scrabbling in the earth, and hauled Leafpool up over the edge. Both cats collapsed, panting. Leafpool let her cheek rest against the solid ground, knowing she had been a whisker away from falling to her death. Crowfeather lay beside her, his flanks heaving. Their eyes met, and Leafpool found she could not look away.

“Thank you,” she mewed.

“I did it,” Crowfeather whispered. “I saved you.”

The air between them seemed to crackle like lightning. Trying to lighten the atmosphere, Leafpool commented, 

“I must be the last cat you would want to save.”

“Is that what you think?” Crowfeather’s gaze burned into her. “Don’t you know how I feel about you? And how much I hate myself for feeling that way about another cat so soon after Feathertail’s death? I loved her, I really did! How can I love you too?”

“Me? But⎯”

“You walk in my dreams, Leafpool,” Crowfeather whispered.

“No . . .” Leafpool breathed. “You can’t love me. I’m a medicine cat.” And I can’t love you, she thought desperately. But she knew that she did, more than she had ever thought possible. To hear that Crowfeather loved her too was what she wanted more than anything else.  **(AHHHH! LEAFCROW HAS HAPPENED!)**

“Leafpool! Are you there, Leafpool?” Three cats were running up the edge of the hollow, and a moment later Cloudtail, Brightheart, and Needlepaw thrust their way among the thorns.

Leafpool and Crowfeather scrambled to their paws. 

“I’m over here!” Leafpool called.

Cloudtail rushed over to her, his tail fluffed out. 

“Are you okay?” he demanded. “Is this cat on our side or theirs?” He flicked his tail at Crowfeather.

Crowfeather began to bristle.

“I’m fine,” Leafpool meowed hastily. “And Crowfeather’s a friend. He was chasing those two ShadowClan warriors. Don’t claw him, Cloudtail, please. He saved me from falling over the edge.”

The white warrior’s eyes narrowed. “Good.”

“What happened to the ShadowClan cats?” Crowfeather asked.

“They’re dead.” Brightheart ducked under a branch to join her Clanmates. “They broke their necks.”

Leafpool shivered, knowing how easily that could have been her neck, snapped in the plunge from the top of the rocks. The bushes rustled and Icefoot sped out.

“Did you get them?” he demanded.

“They went over.” Needlepaw meowed, pointing to the edge. “Mouse-brains. Blackstar won’t be happy, that’s for sure. Don’t worry,” she added. “I’ll make sure that he knows no one was at fault except for them.”

Crowfeather gave Leafpool another searching look, then dipped his head to Cloudtail. 

“I’ll go, then. When I left our camp, the fight was breaking up. Deadfoot is still leader of WindClan.”

“What about⎯” Cloudtail began, but Crowfeather had already vanished among the trees.

Brightheart nudged her mate. 

“Come on; we must get back to the camp. And let’s hope we don’t have any more unexpected visitors.”

For a moment Leafpool stared at the spot where Crowfeather had disappeared, before she turned and padded slowly after her Clanmates. She had nearly been killed by ShadowClan warriors attacking their camp, but she felt as though her paws walked on the wind, and her head was full of stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leafpool: *Hanging over the edge*
> 
> Crowfeather: *Flashbacks, trauma, guilt, fear, horror, REALLY needs a therapist*


	44. Brambleclaw Enlists Squirrelflight’s Help In Opperation ‘Spy On His Dad’ (He, Tawnypelt, and Frogspeck Also Discuss Some Worries)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter!
> 
> Next part with be called 'A Vision of Twilight's Sunset'. I don't know when it'll be up, I'm working on it right now, but I'm also working on another fic of mine, and I have regain the mind to continue writing another one.
> 
> The first fic I mentioned is set in the Potterverse during Harry's time, and the other one is another Warriors one! Can't wait to get started on those! After this series is done, which will be at Leafpool's Wish, I'm going to take a break on this for a bit and focus my attention on my other fics.
> 
> Enjoy!

Brambleclaw hurled himself down the hill in pursuit of Mudclaw and Hawkfrost, Frogspeck tearing across the grass at his side. Rain filled the air, as if the whole lake had been flung into the sky. It washed away the scent of the fleeing cats, and in the darkness Brambleclaw wasn’t even sure he was going the right way. But fury lent speed to his paws and sent energy surging through him from ears to tail-tip until he was hardly aware of being cold and soaked to the skin.

A flash of lightning lit up the hillside, and Brambleclaw spotted his enemies streaking ahead of him: Mudclaw had almost reached the lakeshore, and Hawkfrost was a couple of tail-lengths behind. Two or three other dark shapes ran alongside them. In the chaos of the storm Brambleclaw couldn’t be sure if any of his Clanmates had followed him, but he kept going, forcing his paws into an extra burst of speed, outpacing Frogspeck who had momentarily hesitanted at the sight of his brother.

The next flash of lightning showed Brambleclaw had halved the distance between himself and his quarry. He pelted past the horseplace, glimpsing a yellow gleam of light in the Twoleg nest on the far side of the field. He was briefly aware that there were no kittypets nearby as he hurtled along the shore close to the Gathering place.

He was forced to slow down when he came to the marsh, and his paws kept slipping from the rain-soaked tussocks of grass into pools of peaty water. Mud plastered his legs and belly fur. Snarling in frustration, he imagined Mudclaw and Hawkfrost escaping him.

He never really had asense of kinship with Hawkfrost, but any chance of that happening vanished. If his half brother thought he would escape a fight because they were kin, he was wrong! Though Frogspeck still looked hesitant, the black tom pushed himself forward and Brambleclaw had to admire how the RIverclan tom was willing to go against his brother to fight for what was right.

He heard the sound of another cat splashing ahead of him, and made out a dark shape floundering in mud. Letting out a yowl of triumph, Brambleclaw leaped, but as he took off his hindpaws slipped on the soft ground and his straining forepaws barely grazed the other cat’s fur. He landed awkwardly on one side; before he could recover a heavy weight landed on him, driving him into the mud, and he felt claws gouge deeply into his shoulder. Mudclaw’s eyes, glaring with hatred, were a mouse-length from his own, and the WindClan cat’s scent flooded over him.

“Traitor!” Brambleclaw gasped.

He tried to heave upward and throw his enemy off, but the sodden ground yielded under him, and he felt the icy touch of liquid mud soaking into his pelt. He battered helplessly against Mudclaw’s belly with his hindpaws. Mudclaw let out a snarl, baring his teeth. Brambleclaw braced himself as he waited for the shining fangs to meet in his throat. Then a darker shadow reared up beyond Mudclaw, and a lithe, black paw swatted the WindClan warrior on the side of the head. Mudclaw jerked back, off balance, and Brambleclaw managed to slide out from under him to see him get bowled over by Hawkfrost. Frogspeck stood beside Brambleclaw and nudged him up. Mudclaw was grappling with Hawkfrost in a clump of reeds.

Utterly confused, Brambleclaw staggered to his paws, feeling the drag of wet mud plastered over his pelt. The next flash of lightning showed Hawkfrost standing over Mudclaw with one paw on his belly and the other pinning him by the throat. His pelt was soaked in mud, and his ice-blue eyes blazed.

He, Frogspeck, and Brambleclaw gazed at each other.

“You saved my life,” Brambleclaw meowed softly to Frogspeck. The tom flicked his ears.

“Any time.” the two stared at Hawkfrost. Then Brambleclaw meowed;

“Why, Hawkfrost? Why did you help me and not him?”

Mudclaw writhed under Hawkfrost’s paws and spat out an insult, but Hawkfrost’s gaze never left his brothers. Even in the darkness the young ThunderClan warrior could not break away from the compelling ice-blue eyes. For a few moments the three of them seemed alone in the world, enclosed by the turmoil of the storm.

“You helped Mudclaw,” Frogspeck meowed, not judgmental, but casually. 

“You attacked WindClan, but now . . .” Brambleclaw continued.

Hawkfrost bowed his head. 

“True,” he meowed. “I joined with Mudclaw because I believe he would be a better leader of WindClan. But you’re my brother, Brambleclaw. You too Frogspeck. How could I stand by and let him kill you,” he nodded to Brambleclaw. “And attack you?” Then Frogspeck.

“Mudclaw persuaded me to join with him,” Hawkfrost went on. “He promised to leave RiverClan in peace if I and some of my Clanmates helped him drive out Deadfoot.”

“Tell him what else I promised,” Mudclaw snarled from beneath Hawkfrost’s paws. “Tell him how you came to me and offered your help if I made you WindClan’s deputy . . . and helped you take over RiverClan later.”

“What?” Hawkfrost’s eyes widened. “Frogspeck, Brambleclaw, don’t listen to him. Why would I want to leave RiverClan? And why would I need to ask any cat for that kind of help?” He lifted his head. “If I am to lead RiverClan one day, it will be by the warrior code, or not at all.”  **(Proceeds to commit attempted assassination)**

“Liar!” Mudclaw spat.

Hawkfrost shook his head. 

“I did only what I thought was right,” he meowed.

Mudclaw then let out a hiss of triumph and heaved himself up, thrusting Hawkfrost back into a reedy pool. Brambleclaw crouched to fight back as the WindClan warrior leaped at him and Frogspeck, who had flattened his ears and hissed, but Hawkfrost, recovering rapidly, dived between them and lashed out furiously at Mudclaw with teeth and claws. Mudclaw veered to one side, then turned and fled, his dark shape soon lost in the night.

Without another word, Hawkfrost spun around and splashed off after him, leaving Brambleclaw and Frogspeck to follow. Lightning flashed again, and above the answering roll of thunder Brambleclaw heard a cat calling his name. He glanced back to see Squirrelflight charging after him and Frogspeck, 

“What’s going on?” she gasped. 

“Mudclaw’s getting away!” Frogspeck yowled. “Hawkfrost is trying to catch him!” Squirrelflight cast Brambleclaw a questioning glance, but didn’t press for answers.

A claw of lightning tore the sky from top to bottom. The pulsing blue-white flare lit up a cat standing on the shore opposite the island. It was Mudclaw. In the same heartbeat an earsplitting crack sounded across the water. The lightning crackled down to the topmost branches of one of the trees on the island, outlining it briefly in a spike of flame. The tree began to fall, gathering momentum as it toppled. Too late, Mudclaw turned to flee. His screech of terror was cut off as the tree crashed down on the shore, its branches clattering like bones.

Brambleclaw stumbled forward through the swamp until he reached firmer ground. As if the storm had done its work by destroying the tree, it began to move away; the next flash of lightning was over the hills, and the thunder echoed more distantly. The rain faded to a soft hiss, and ragged gaps began to appear in the clouds, allowing a feeble moonlight to fall over the lake.

By its light, Brambleclaw could see more cats gathering on the shore, among them Firestar, Deadfoot, and his deputy, Ashfoot. The WindClan leader looked exhausted, and blood trickled from a long gash on his shoulder. His eyes were filled with disappointment that Mudclaw and other WindClan warriors had been traitors plotting secretly against him.

Brambleclaw splashed his way across to his Clan leader and the WindClan cats. Together they approached the tree. Brambleclaw froze when he spotted movement among the branches. He braced himself, ready to battle to the death if Mudclaw was still alive. Then the branches shifted and a tabby cat backed clumsily out, his hindpaws scrabbling for a grip on the pebbles. Brambleclaw blinked. It was Hawkfrost.

His half brother had his teeth fixed in Mudclaw’s scruff as he dragged him into the open. The WindClan warrior’s head lolled at an awkward angle, and his limbs trailed limply upon the ground.

Hawkfrost dragged him up to Deadfoot and let the body fall at the Clan leader’s paws. 

“The tree crushed him,” he rasped. “Your leadership is safe.”

Deadfoot bent his head and sniffed at the dead warrior, and sighed.

“The Clan will grieve for him,” he murmured. “He was a fine warrior once.”

Ashfoot let out a faint hiss. 

“He betrayed you!”

“As did you!” Deadfoot spat, rounding on Hawkfrost. “You helped him.” He unsheathed his claws, ready to spring on the massive tabby.

Hawkfrost bowed his head, as Frogspeck took a step forward, as if to shield him.

“I admit it,” Hawkfrost meowed. “And I ask your forgiveness. I truly believed that Mudclaw would be a good leader of WindClan, and because of that, at his request, I brought cats from RiverClan and ShadowClan to help him. But StarClan has given us a clear sign by sending the lightning to destroy Mudclaw. Deadfoot, you are WindClan’s true leader, chosen by StarClan. Do with me what you will.”

Icefoot had his eyes narrowed onto Hawkfrost from where he sat beside Firestar. Meanwhile Ashfoot padded forward to investigate the branches of the fallen tree. 

“Hawkfrost is right, Deadfoot. You couldn’t hope for a better sign than this. StarClan sent lightning to strike the tree and kill the cat who would have taken your place. There’s no doubt now that you’re the cat StarClan has chosen to lead WindClan.”

Deadfoot raised his head, a proud light growing in his eyes.

“Then I shall be honored to accept my nine lives.” Turning back to Hawkfrost, he went on, “I forgive you, you and all the rest.” Frogspeck noticeably relaxed. Hawkfrost dipped his head again and stood back, and Frogspeck trotted over to him, brushing against his sodden fur.

More cats had begun to appear along the lakeshore, among them Dustpelt and Brackenfur, Mistyfoot and Tornear. Shadecloud, Tawnypelt, and Snowflight were there two, and Brambleclaw’s sister pushed her way forward and pressed her muzzle against her brother’s, purring. They all gathered in a ragged semicircle around the Clan leaders and the body of Mudclaw.

“Look at this!” Brackenfur meowed. He jumped onto the tree and padded a little way across the lake water.

“It’s like a Twoleg bridge!” Mistyfoot exclaimed. Brackenfur turned back, springing down onto the pebbles with a rustle of branches. 

“It’s the Twoleg bridge Jayfeather mentioned! We can use the fallen tree to reach the island,” he meowed. “It’s wide enough for all of us to cross safely. We can use it for Gatherings after all!”

Brambleclaw realized that the last problem with their new home had been solved. Thanks to Leafpool they had the Moonpool where they could share tongues with StarClan, and now the island would give them a safe place to gather that would belong to all the Clans, and none.

Instinctively he looked around for Squirrelflight, and spotted her standing beside Dustpelt. She saw him looking and padded toward him, giving his ear a lick, before whispering;

“I heard what Mudclaw and Hawkfrost said to you and Frogspeck. Do you think they were telling the truth?” there was no accusation in her voice, just curiosity and worry. He pressed his nose to hers.

“I don’t know.” he meowed honestly. “I didn’t trust Mudclaw, not one bit, so logically I should think Hawkfrost was telling the truth, but…” he trailed off, hesitating. Squirrelflight tilted her head.

“But what?” He gazed at her, then made a decision. After all, if he couldn’t trust Squirrelflight, who could he?

“Lionblaze told Tawnypelt and I that Tigerstar will contact us in our dreams,” he began quietly, eyes flickering around to make sure no one was evesdrooping. “And he did. Frogspeck and Hawkfrost too.” Squirrelflight’s eyes were wide with shock.

“He can walk in your dreams?” she whispered. Then she pressed her nose to his shoulder. “Has he done anything to you or Tawnypelt?” Brambleclaw shook his head.

“No. He’s only visited us once, so far. Lionblaze asked us if we would be willing to get information from Tigerstar about the Dark Forest. They said that eventually they will train the living in their sleep and try to convince them to help them attack and destroy the clans.” Squirrelflight sucked in a breath. “The clans managed to fight them off, but Lionblaze and Jayfeather think that the battle could have gone better, and I think they are worried that the Dark Forest could rise again.”

“So they want to find out if they can.” Squirrelflight meowed softly, eyes narrowed in thought. She then spotted the glum look on Brambleclaw’s face. “There’s something else to, isn’t there?”

“Yes.” he sighed. “Lionblaze also told us that their sister, Hollyleaf you know, she was killed defending Ivypool, Dovewing’s sister, and her murderer was…” his amber eyes traveled to Hawkfrost. Squirrelflight followed his gaze and stiffened.

“Hawkfrost.” she breathed.

“Yes,” Brambleclaw nodded. “Hawkfrost.”

Frogspeck had left Hawkfrost’s side, and had crept away with Shadecloud. He pressed his nose to hers.

“You alright?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” she meowed. “Nothing serious.” he breathed out in relief.

“That’s good.” he meowed. “And the kits?”

“Their fine to.” Shadecloud rolled her eyes. “Ferncloud’s going to have a heart-attack. You saw how she was trying to get me to stay.” Frogspeck gently licked her ear.

“She’s just worried about you, like I am. Except I know not to repeatedly do it.” Shadecloud purred.

“That’s true.” they touched noses again. “See you at the next Gathering.” the gray she-cat bounded away, and Frogspeck turned and spotted Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight talking quietly. They glanced off to one side, and he suddenly remembered what he wanted to talk with Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt about. He dashed over.

“Excuse me,” he panted. “But can I talk to you and Tawnypelt real quick? It’s important.” Brambleclaw blinked, surprised, then glanced at Squirrelflight. She licked his ear and trotted over to Creekflower, who started fussing over her scratches. Brambleclaw got Tawnypelt’s attention and she padded over.

“What’s up?” she asked. Frogspeck glanced around.

“You had the dream to, right?” at their nod, he continued. “I don’t trust Tigerstar. He may be my father, and my mother spoke of how much she loved him, but I still know about what he’s done. And I can tell you, that kind of ambition doesn’t go away like that. Please tell me that you feel the same.” Brambleclaw relaxed.

“I can assure you, we have no intention of trusting Tigerstar.” he meowed. Tawnypelt sniffed.

“We kind of disowned ourselves from him when we were apprentices. But that clearly didn’t stop him from popping into our dreams and freaking us out.” Frogspeck’s whiskers twitched.

“I tried to get that through to Hawkfrost, but, well,” he sighed. “He feels like he has to prove himself to our father. And I’m worried - wait, no, scratch that - I’m  _ terrified _ he’s going to do something he might regret. Or worse, something he  _ doesn’t _ regret.” Tawnypelt’s eyes softened.

“We’ll try to get through to him,” she meowed. “But remember, we can’t force him to do anything. Whatever choices he makes, are his to make.”

“Brambleclaw! Tawnypelt!” Squirrelflight’s yowl sounded out. “We’re leaving soon! Get a move on!”

“Coming!” Brambleclaw called back. To Frogspeck he meowed; “See you some other time.”

“In your dreams!” Tawnypelt joked. Frogspeck meowed a laugh.

“In your dreams!” he responded. Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt turned and raced back to their clanmates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brambleclaw, into his mic: Clawed Bramble here, I have recruited two more into our ranks. Say hello to Flight of Squirrel!
> 
> Squirrelflight, into her mic: HEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
> 
> Alderpaw & Sparkpaw: HI MOM!!!!!
> 
> Tawnypelt: And here's Speck of Frog!
> 
> Frogspeck: Yo, wassup?!
> 
> Alderpaw & Sparkpaw: HI UNCLE FROG - er - SPECK OF FROG!!!!


End file.
